Atlantis Requiem
by ladygris
Summary: On the heels of Earth's destruction, an old enemy rises from the shadows, and John Sheppard is caught in the crossfire. AU. Sequel to Atlantis Symphony, formerly titled Atlantis Interlude. NOW COMPLETE!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Stargate: Atlantis or any of its characters. I do, however, own Anna Lorne, Rachel Harrison, and all the original characters. Any similarity between these original characters and any other person, living or fictional, is entirely coincidental and not the intent of the author.

Prologue

Colonel John Sheppard strolled the corridors of Atlantis, nodding occasionally to the passing soldiers. Children darted out of a classroom, and he sidestepped them and continued on his way. The changes in Atlantis were drastic to him, and he remembered the early days. He'd been a major, then, and a hard-nosed US Marine Corp colonel, Marshall Sumner, commanded the military personnel. Now, the rebellious, unwanted major had lasted longer than anyone thought, and he commanded Atlantis's military contingent.

Operations on Atlantis had continued over the years, only changing as time and personnel changed. Just last week, General Caldwell brought a new group from Earth on his new ship, Daedalus III. This incarnation of the original Daedalus boasted stronger engines, more space, and some really cool technology. But, it was used more and more as an exploratory vessel and less as a warship. Not that it couldn't kick some serious tail. The weapons, all based on the Asgaard technology, had changed as well. Sam O'Neill spent the majority of her retirement working on new innovations based on technologies the gate teams brought back. It was the same job she'd held on Earth, and she loved it.

Sheppard's neutral expression darkened slightly as he thought about the Daedalus's arrival. News from Earth had not been encouraging. Tensions between superpowers had reached an all-time high, and the politicians raced to make peace before all-out war broke loose. Not that Earth hadn't changed as well. The United States still existed, but it had waned as a superpower. The IOA finally gave up trying to control Atlantis, but they weren't above isolating them. Even when the fervor reached its peak, the IOA refused to allow Elizabeth Weir to return to her home world to negotiate a truce. Sheppard shook his head at that. Weir was the best diplomat in two galaxies. She had over a hundred years of experience and had brokered agreements all over Pegasus. Yet, her own people didn't trust her. Granted, her own people thought her dead.

The control room buzzed with its normal activities as Sheppard made his way into it. On the way, he passed Anna Lorne and one of the new personnel from Daedalus. All these new people were young, fresh, and ready to face what Pegasus offered. Not that it offered the same amount of danger as before. Thanks to Todd and his help, the Wraith had retreated to the shadows and rarely caused problems for them anymore. Sheppard stepped into his office and considered that thought. Maybe Sam's weapons upgrades on the Daedalus had a little to do with that as well.

"Unscheduled off-world activation!" Chuck turned to a computer at his elbow and stared wide-eyed. "It's Earth."

Sheppard left his office. "Did you say Earth?"

"Yes, Sir." Chuck stared at the wormhole. "They're not scheduled to dial in for another three months."

"I know that."

Weir chose that moment to appear. "What's happening?"

"Earth, ma'am." Chuck moved to lower the shield, but he stopped. "We're receiving an audio transmission."

Weir nodded. "Let's hear it."

"Atlantis Base, this is Stargate Command." It was Walter Harriman's voice. "Do not, I repeat, do _not_ send reinforcements through the gate. We are under attack at Cheyenne Mountain, and it is only a matter of time before we fail to defend the gate. We are at peace with this. The war that started a year ago has reached an impasse, and much of Earth has fallen victim to nuclear bombs." Shouts sounded in the background, and an explosion covered several screams. The gate shut down.

Sheppard whirled. "What war?"

Before anyone could answer him, Weir overrode his question. "Get that back open!"

Chuck stared at the controls in front of him as Sheppard moved toward the new woman from Earth. Lorne, who stood next to his wife, jumped forward when Chuck didn't immediately react to Weir's order. After three attempts to dial Earth failed, he stepped back. "I can't do that, ma'am."

It was so like Lorne to deliver such horrible news in a matter-of-fact way that also conveyed his regret. The new woman didn't answer Sheppard's question, and he also forgot about it. If they couldn't establish contact with Earth, that meant Cheyenne Mountain had been destroyed.

Weir appeared to be the only one not frozen in shock. "Get in touch with Caldwell." She looked around. "I want him bound for Earth and ready to give me a full report within the week."

Sheppard went into action. "I'm going."

"What?" Weir looked at him. "John, you can't just take off."

"It's only for a week at the most, and I have to know." He stared at her. "I'm going."

To her credit, she didn't argue with that. Sheppard honestly didn't know what he would have done if she'd refused to give her permission. He tapped his radio, knowing his needs were few. "Daedalus, this is Sheppard. Ready to beam up."

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Just three days later, Sheppard stood on the bridge of the Daedalus and stared at the planet circling outside. The healthy greens and blues of the world were gone, leaving only devastation. Caldwell sat behind him, stunned into silence. No one stirred. No one spoke. No one could.

Earth was dead. That truth echoed in their minds as loudly as Marks's announcement that sensors could not detect any life signs through the radiation. It was too thick. In time, the planet would survive, but no one lived to see it. The Stargate Program and all of the good it had done in its years of existence had not saved Earth from its hatred and greed. Sheppard felt tears well in the backs of his eyes and blinked them away. It didn't matter that several people on the bridge of the Daedalus openly wept. _He_ would not weep. He had buried his entire family and left Earth behind years ago. But that was _his_ decision. He had returned once in that time and had stood over the grave of his brother. But he no longer had any ties to anyone there. Now, he didn't even have a location. Now, all he had were memories.

Behind him, Caldwell stirred. "Set course for Atlantis."

"Yes, Sir." Marks punched the commands into the computer. Both men sounded broken.

Sheppard stood in place, unable to move until the ship entered hyperspace. Earth was dead. It was all that he could think. His home planet no longer existed. He turned from the blue streaks of hyperspace and stared at Caldwell. Until he saw it, he had refused to believe it. Now, he had no choice. "What happened?"

Caldwell stood and led him to the conference room that doubled as a ready room. When the doors closed behind him, he rubbed his face. "I'm not entirely sure. We were at war, yes. But you knew that. You tried to get the IOA to allow Weir to come back to negotiate."

"I knew tensions were high." Sheppard glared. "I knew war was eminent. But I didn't know we were _at war_."

"It was just some border skirmishes at first." Caldwell dropped into a chair, all pretense gone in the wake of what they'd just witnessed. "Since we left, the powers that be must have authorized a nuclear attack. That's the only thing that could have happened since that was already a threat."

Sheppard stood at the window, no longer seeing what lay beyond. "We've come all this way, and we still fall to a nuclear war." He shook his head. He had rarely felt so helpless in his life. Even when he'd been captured by the Wraith or the Genii, he still knew someone out there fought for him. When they had first gone to Atlantis, they had a place to call home. A place to dream of and to talk about. Now, that was gone. No matter how helpless he'd been in the past, he always had Earth and her people to defend. Now, he didn't even have that.

He spent the few days on Daedalus in his quarters, staring out the window and wondering how he would break this news to Elizabeth. She was more than a superior. She was a friend, and he loved her in a distant way. Whatever they might have had was no longer there, pushed away by years of denial and service. But she would take this news the hardest. Out of all the diplomats on Earth, she could have brokered the deal that prevented this fallout. _She_ could have saved Earth.

Back at Atlantis, Caldwell beamed him to the control room and landed his ship on one of the city's piers. Sheppard waited until the light from the transporter had dissipated before looking around. Weir, Chuck, Lorne, and McKay waited impatiently. Teyla and Ronon stood in the background, their faces neutral. Suddenly, Sheppard understood what Ronon felt when he first discovered that Sateda had been destroyed. Unable to speak, he shook his head, telling them everything they needed to know at the moment.

Weir took the news like a blow to the gut. She even gasped a little. Lorne looked up and around before heading for a transporter and leaving the control room. Sheppard knew him well enough to know that he was headed for his wife. McKay just sat down, unable to catch himself when the chair behind him rolled away and he hit the floor. The shock was too great. Teyla looked at the floor, and Ronon clenched his fist like he wanted to kill something.

Finally, Weir drew in a deep breath and lifted her head. Tears stood in her eyes, but her voice was strong as she activated the citywide communications. "Attention, all personnel." Her voice echoed through the corridors, silencing even the most rowdy of children. "By now, you have all heard that we have lost contact with Earth. While we do not know the exact nature of the conflict, we know that Earth was embroiled in a global war. The Daedalus has just returned and confirmed our worst suspicions. The nuclear fallout is too severe to allow human life to exist on the surface. We do not know how many-if any-survived the war." She drew in another deep breath, and her voice shook when she spoke again. "Atlantis, we are alone."

~TBC


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

The next morning, Sheppard again strolled through the corridors of Atlantis. His mind recalled the day just over a week ago when he had taken this exact route. In fact, his actions last night had been pretty similar to that day with one glaring difference. When he woke this morning, he'd been faced with the same realization that he'd faced for the last four days. Earth no longer existed.

After Weir's announcement, the city descended into a state of shocked silence. Children sensed their parents' despair and sought to comfort them any way they could. Some children, like the Lorne girl, never knew Earth as their home. They were either Athosian or children of parents who were given Anna's ATA therapy. Sure, they had _visited_ Earth, but they only knew it as a vacation spot.

Sheppard had left the control room and went in search of Nadia. She still sat in her lab, the information on the society that captured her attention scrolling unnoticed on her screen. It was the first time he'd been down here, and he didn't care who saw them. After all, everyone had left their posts and sought out the comforting presence of their friends and family. Nadia went to him immediately, and they walked to her quarters. Once there, he held her as much as she held him. The act of comforting another human being soothed him only marginally.

Sheppard listened to the sounds around him as he walked. No one had gone to work. The shock was still too great. Late last night, Nadia had finally broken down, and Sheppard held her until she slept. In fact, he didn't leave until she woke and assured him that she would be fine. The fact that he walked away so easily told him that this wasn't a relationship. They might have been sleeping together, but they didn't love each other. He wondered what to do now that he realized this. Break it off? No, it was too close to the destruction of Earth. Besides, he really liked Nadia. She was smart and funny, and she needed him. He liked being needed.

The silence of the city was broken by a strange sound from one of the balconies. Sheppard stopped and listened. Someone had found a way to express their anger. The electric guitar was loud and distorted. He grinned appreciatively at the riff that began with a slide down to the low notes. The guitar growled for a moment before a quick walk up to higher notes and continued to wail its way through a complicated chord change. Sheppard changed direction, determined to find out who played that kind of music. _Probably one of the new Marines_, he decided as he walked through the door onto the balcony.

A woman sat with her back to him, her head moving in time to the notes she played. Sheppard blinked. This was the woman he'd confronted in the control room a week ago-the one he wanted to explain Earth's demise to him. He now knew she was Rachel Harrison, the new head of psychology for Atlantis. Even now, she retained an innocent expression and a girl-next-door appearance. Her caramel-colored hair only fell to her middle back, and she'd pulled the front out of her face. Her Atlantis uniform was like everyone else's, and she wore very little makeup. But that innocent appearance didn't account for the pure rock that poured out of the amplifier at her feet.

Sheppard moved around the end of the bench, hoping he didn't scare ten years off of her life. She continued to play for a few minutes and then caught sight of him as she checked the position of the pedal at her feet. She straightened. "Colonel."

Sheppard motioned to the guitar she held. "That. . .that's not what I expected."

She grinned at him. "I try to be surprising." The grin faded. "Am I too loud? I can turn down the amp if I need to."

"No." He still stared at her. The contradiction of seeing a sweet lady like Dr. Harrison holding a black and white electric guitar still confused him a bit. "Well, maybe a little."

She turned the amp down and frowned slightly. "Is something wrong, Colonel?"

"No," he said again. "Well. . . ."

"Maybe a little?" she asked, echoing his words.

"It's just that we don't hear music like that on Atlantis unless it's from a CD."

"Is this a problem?"

"No!" He sounded more emphatic than he needed and lowered his voice. "I like it. It's just that most of the people around here are influenced by the Lornes. And they're into classical music and art. Not many truly understand rock music anymore."

"I understand that." She nodded. "Anna is a phenomenal musician, but her tastes are a little old for me. I like a good guitar solo. And bass. Gotta have a bass."

Sheppard turned to look out over the city rather than staring at her again. When he'd read her file, he expected someone much like Anna Lorne, not this spunky woman sitting behind him. He glanced at her again. "Been playing long?"

"About fifty years." She shrugged. "I played with a small indie band back on Earth for a time."

He watched the transformation take place on her face. She had walked herself into the memories and the one thing she undoubtedly wanted to escape. Her relaxed façade faded, and he saw a glimpse of the grief and anger under it. "Hey, if you want to be alone. . . ."

"No, I'm fine." She stood to put the guitar back in its case. "I just. . .wasn't expecting it to be this hard. I mean, I haven't played in that band in probably twenty years. I kind of drifted away from them about the time I changed my identity last time. But, it's still about. . . ."

"Earth."

"Yeah." She joined him at the railing, leaving enough distance between them to be appropriate. "I know what I _should_ be doing. I should be meeting with my department, organizing them for what's about to come. I mean, with something this huge happening, we're going to have a lot of soldiers that don't want to talk coming to us, not to mention the scientists who don't have a soldier's discipline. And, of course, there's you and Dr. Weir and Colonel Lorne and everyone in leadership.

"But, I can't." She turned to stare at him. "I know I should, but I just can't do that right now. How can I help an entire city cope with losing their home world when I've lost _my_ home world? Just two weeks ago, I left knowing I'd never return. But it was there. Now, it's not. And I don't know how to handle that."

Sheppard looked at her out of the corner of his eye. He didn't know what to say. She just opened her mouth and poured out all these feelings. He thought for a moment. "I think you should just take your time. Work it out for yourself."

"And what am I to do with all these soldiers who are looking for an outlet for their anger?" She smiled at him. "Colonel, I know you're a soldier, so psychologists and feelings aren't really what you're trained to handle. I just needed to voice some of this."

"Okay." What else was he supposed to say? "Like I said, take your time and work it out for yourself."

"Easier said than done." She shrugged. "I have to come out of hiding one day."

Sheppard thought about that. Had a psychologist just admitted to doing something she would counsel someone against? He thought she had, anyway. And, for that reason alone, he began to like her.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Rachel stood next to Sheppard, feeling more awkward than she had in years. She had just opened her mouth and started talking, sensing someone who would understand. But the overwhelmed expression on his face told her that she had just stepped out of line. Oh, Colonel Sheppard wouldn't see it that way. But, with the pressures of commanding Atlantis's military on top of the grief from Earth's destruction, he didn't need his chief psychologist falling apart.

Rather than dwelling on her own grief, Rachel eyed the man next to her. Colonel Sheppard hid it well, but she saw signs of sleeplessness. He likely hadn't slept well since his trip to Earth. She didn't want to imagine the destruction that he'd seen. Not that he could get on the surface of the planet to confirm anything. She had heard the reports by now. The entire surface of Earth was radioactive, covered with fallout so severe it killed everything. The place that was once the Milky Way's hope for freedom from the Goa'uld was now a dead piece of rock spinning in space.

Rachel pulled her mind from that thought and steadied her voice. "What about you, Colonel? How are you coping?"

Sheppard eyed her again. "Fine."

"Just the answer I expected." She watched the thoughts crossing his face and realized that he didn't have the will to bury them right now. "Do me a favor, Colonel. Find someone to talk to about this. If it's not me, then find someone. Don't bury this, because it's too big to just bury under a calm face."

He nodded. "Back atcha." He finally faced her. "Listen, Doc, I have nothing against you personally. But I'm not the type to run to the psychologist with every little problem."

"I know that."

"Then you won't be upset if I don't appear in your office ready to spill the beans on all of this."

"I won't be upset." She met his eyes, willing them to contain the same steel she saw in his. "But, Colonel, you won't be upset if you have to come talk to me once or twice. I'm probably going to make this a requirement for _all_ department heads and command staff. That includes you and Colonel Lorne. Dr. Weir, too. We can't fall apart here."

Sheppard stared at her as if trying to read her mind. Rachel refused to back down. In the years that she'd been on Earth, she discovered that genetics was fun, but psychology was her love. Her heartbeat. She loved sitting with a patient, listening to them work out the intricacies of their own emotions. This version of psychology wasn't practiced as much anymore, but Rachel liked it more than prescribing medication to treat something that wasn't a physical sickness.

Sheppard didn't back down, but he didn't push her either. "Deal." He started to leave and then stopped. "Talk to Ronon."

"I'm sorry?" Rachel tried to figure out why she needed to talk to Ronon. He wasn't from Earth, after all.

"You were saying that you didn't know how you were going to help the city cope with the loss when you were trying to cope." He shrugged. "I know it's been a while, but Ronon lost his home world. I was there when he saw Sateda's destruction. He'll help you-I think."

Rachel laughed at his uncertainty. "I'll keep that in mind, Colonel. Thank you."

Sheppard left her alone, and she returned to the bench. She no longer had any desire to play the guitar, all anger now fading in light of her conversation with Atlantis's military commander. It would return, she knew. Just as the grief would return. But, for now, her mind worked on a strategy to help her people. Satisfied that she had a plan in place, she packed up her gear and returned to her quarters.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

The sun set before the watcher made his move. He had observed the base for two days, noting the guard changes and weaknesses. A short while ago, the Stargate activated. Whatever news they received obviously shocked them. Now, the soldiers guarded nothing. They sat in their beds, their shock making them prime targets.

The first time he ever came to this place, it had been nothing more than a collection of prefabricated buildings. Now, a large facility stood in place, technology of the Ancients making it difficult to penetrate. But he knew how. He had the gene. He had trained for this day for years.

Getting inside was the easy part. Once he was inside, he looked around. He wasn't a scientist, and he only knew the general information they needed. He wandered the halls, keeping to the shadows as he searched for the location of his goals. Finally, after dodging men still too stunned to react, he slipped into a storage room and frowned. This room contained computer files and old equipment from Atlantis. These laptops hadn't been opened in more years than they should have existed, but the data they possibly contained made them useful. As did the flash drives.

He stood over a box, staring at the small piece of technology in his hand. He hadn't thought about these in a long time. Lately, he handled more tech from old Wraith outposts than anything. But, this would work. With one of the old laptops, he could possibly access this data. He just hoped time hadn't corrupted the data he needed.

"Hey!" The shout came just as he slipped from the room. The soldier that spotted him tapped his headset. "We have an intruder, level one, corridor C."

Instantly, alarms sounded across the complex. He slipped the laptop and flash drives he'd stolen into the pack on his back and moved quickly. The soldier got in a few hits, but he went down quickly. Another soldier managed to shoot him in the shoulder. With blood dripping down his arm, he took that man down as well. Rather than waiting around for more of these men to come to him, he ran for the edge of the complex.

The Alpha Site had been a cakewalk. If it was as easy to break into Atlantis, then the Lanteans no longer deserved to live there. Only time and a medic stood between him and discovering whether that thought was true.

~TBC


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The distress call from the Pegasus Alpha Site came the next morning as Sheppard stepped into his office. He listened as Weir spoke with Captain Erickson, the Marine in charge of maintaining the site once thought to be Atlantis's sanctuary should they be required to evacuate the city. It had happened a few times over the years, but the Pegasus galaxy had settled in the last fifty years or so. Still, they couldn't be too careful.

Weir terminated the communication, and Sheppard stepped forward. "What happened?"

"Someone broke into the Alpha Site."

"Really?" Sheppard frowned. "Isn't that where all our storage is?"

"Get your team, Colonel." Weir tried to smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Sheppard touched her elbow as he left the control room. He understood. Normally, Elizabeth would have already ordered him through the gate. Today, she still couldn't cope with yesterday's problems. Sheppard didn't mind. He knew he could run Atlantis while she grieved.

Teyla and Ronon appeared within minutes of his page. They moved quietly around the armory, not willing to destroy his focus. Sheppard appreciated that, but he didn't want it. This was just another day on Atlantis, and they had a mission. He revised that thought when Rodney appeared, looking less than thrilled. The scientist still seemed shell shocked. And he'd cut his arm when he fell off of the chair.

"What? A mission?" McKay stared incredulously. "Are you kidding me?"

"Life goes on, Rodney," Sheppard replied.

"Life may go on, but you can't just act like nothing happened." McKay motioned behind him. "You just went from telling us that Earth was destroyed to ordering us out on a mission as if nothing happened. That's not right, and you know it. No."

"No, what?"

"No, I'm not going." McKay folded his arms across his chest, his chin rising self-righteously.

Sheppard's eyebrows rose. "Are you refusing an order?"

"Yes." McKay glanced around. "It's not like you can really command me, anyway. I'm not military."

"You're a member of my team." Sheppard glared. "We went through this years ago."

"No, no we didn't." McKay actually looked ready to break down. "Years ago, we came here knowing we might never get home. But we had a home to return to. Now, we don't."

"McKay!" Sheppard glared. "I don't have time to explain that _this_ is now home. This-Atlantis-has been home to us for more years than we lived on Earth. You know that. I know that. Right now, though, I need for you to quit arguing and get ready to go."

McKay simply stared.

"Listen, I don't know how you feel right now." Sheppard shrugged. "I'm not even sure how _I _feel. But, we have a mission, and I need you to come with us. You're part of this team, and I'm not going anywhere without you."

McKay softened a little. "Really? I mean, you wouldn't go on a mission without me?"

"Yeah, I'd go on a mission without you." Sheppard took a deep breath, reigning in his anger. "But I'd rather go with you. Especially now."

"Why?"

"There was a break-in at the Alpha Site. We're going to investigate and see what was stolen." Sheppard shrugged. "I need you there, Rodney. You know those archives better than just about anyone."

"Well, I should. I set them up." McKay stopped as he realized he'd just been neatly manipulated. "Oh, you will pay for that."

"I'm sure I will." Sheppard tossed a TAC vest his direction. "Now, get suited up."

After the argument, Sheppard walked into the control room and spoke briefly with Elizabeth. He didn't necessarily like psychologists, but he recognized how people like McKay needed them. Right now, he wanted Rodney on the top of Dr. Harrison's list of command personnel. His eyes narrowed as Elizabeth simply nodded without much spirit. He wanted Rodney on Dr. Harrison's list of command personnel immediately after Elizabeth. This nearly catatonic version of her was creepy.

Captain Erickson met them on the other side of the gate. After years on Atlantis, the military regulations had loosened a bit. Military personnel now fraternized with one another but were always careful to uphold the chain of command. Sheppard understood that a closed society like Atlantis lent itself to romantic trysts. Heck, he'd had his own romantic trysts. But he didn't want to hear about them from the grapevine.

Erickson didn't salute Sheppard, but he straightened slightly. The captain had not received Anna's gene therapy. He'd been in Pegasus for five years, watching over the Alpha Site for three. The mundane day-to-day tasks suited him, and he liked living there. Sheppard wondered if the captain was okay, but he never asked.

"Sir." Erickson's voice stopped him a few feet from the Stargate. "Is it true?"

Sheppard knew what the younger man asked. "Yeah, it's true." He tamped down the memories of the lifeless planet orbiting in space. "I saw it myself."

Erickson's face crumbled, but he didn't cry. Instead, he pulled himself together with admirable grace. "Understood, Sir."

He led them the rest of the way to the Alpha Site, not commenting here and there like usual. Sheppard refused to break the silence and gratefully slipped into command when they reached the scene of the break-in. McKay immediately went to work in the storage room, cataloging what had been present and what was missing. Given the amount of research archived here over the years, that alone would take hours. He left McKay grumbling about how the robber had torn the archive room to bits and went looking for Ronon.

"Sheppard." The low growl just outside the room gave the Satedan's location away. He pointed. "Blood."

Erickson nodded. "Yeah, Clark managed to get a lucky shot in." He held up a vial. "I got a sample before it dried."

"Good work." Sheppard glanced around. "How is Clark?"

"Beat up, but fine." Erickson shrugged. "No real damage outside of the cuts and bruises. It was like the guy tried to minimize damage."

Ronon scowled. "Why would he do that?"

"Any number of reasons." Sheppard accepted the vial from Erickson. "We'll get this to Beckett and see if he can do anything with it. Thanks, Captain."

Erickson went his way, and Sheppard returned to the room where Rodney worked. He watched for what seemed like hours before checking his watch. Thirty minutes had passed. Deciding that watching McKay work when he wasn't in the mood to talk had about as much appeal as vacationing on a Wraith hive, Sheppard slipped out of the room and circled the Alpha Site. Nothing happened here, which was why they'd picked this planet. Long before they ever came to Pegasus, the Wraith had destroyed this world and left it barren. That made it attractive for so many reasons.

Several hours later, McKay stormed out of the archive room with an angry look on his face. "I found it."

"What is 'it?'" Sheppard asked.

McKay answered, and Sheppard felt his heart sink. "Okay. Let's get back to Atlantis. You can tell everyone there."

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Rachel stood outside Weir's office, observing the other woman. She wanted to help, and she needed to have this meeting. But her own emotions were still too raw to do much beyond implementing a plan. In the office, Weir attempted to look busy, but Rachel knew the signs. She saw the glances at the clock and the deep sighs, not to mention how Weir shielded her computer screen from view. Odds were good she was simply playing Solitaire to pass the time.

Rachel took a deep breath and poked her head in the door. "Dr. Weir?"

"Dr. Harrison. Come in." Weir rose and extended a hand. "I haven't had a chance to welcome you to Atlantis."

Rachel smiled to put the other woman at ease. "I understand. And, please, call me Rachel."

"Elizabeth." Weir motioned to one of the chairs positioned on the glass wall of her spacious office. "What can I do for you this morning?"

"Well, I wanted talk to you about my plan for the next few months." Rachel crossed her legs at the ankle and folded her hands in her lap. "Right now, the city's in shock. But that will change."

"I know." Weir turned and stared at the Stargate. "_I'm_ in shock. I just don't know how to handle this."

"I understand," Rachel said quietly.

Weir looked at her. "I'm sure you do." After a moment of silence, she seemed to pull herself together. "You have a plan?"

"Yes, and it'll require your help." Rachel drew in a deep breath. "I can't expect the personnel of Atlantis to talk to me or my psychologists if the leadership doesn't. Losing Earth affected everyone here, whether we were born there or not. With a city like this, there's a lot at stake. We are a military base as well as a civilian research center. The soldiers are going to come out of their shock soon, and all that anger will need to go somewhere."

Weir nodded. "You're right." She drew in a deep breath. "As far as military personnel, you'll have to speak with Colonel Sheppard when he returns from his mission."

"Oh, I already have." Rachel allowed a small smile to escape when she thought about Sheppard's insistence that he was "fine." "I've already told him that I am making it a requirement for _all_ command staff see me at least once. If not twice. I'm hoping that, while I may not yet know how to deal with this, we can find a way to help each other through it."

Weir grinned at Rachel's words. "I can't imagine Colonel Sheppard was very happy with you."

"We came to an understanding." Rachel studied the woman again. "How are you?"

Weir's eyes went back to the Stargate. "I don't know. I find that I'm constantly thinking about the people here on Atlantis. We may be the last of our kind-the Tau'ri from Earth, as the Goa'uld used to call us. We have a legacy here, and I'm not sure we realize that, yet."

"Give it time. Give yourself time." Rachel slipped into "psychologist mode." "Grief is a process. It begins with denial. That's where we're all at. We don't want to believe that Earth is really gone. We'll isolate ourselves while we deal with the sharpest bit of the emotion.

"When that wears off, the anger will come." Rachel propped her chin on her hand, also studying the Stargate. "That's where my concern lies. When all these soldiers start experiencing the anger, it's going to get ugly quickly. I want to have some sort of system in place so that command staff can handle that while going through our own process."

Weir nodded again, but she didn't comment. Rachel let her think for a bit, not at all uncomfortable with the silence. Many times, people made the mistake of trying to talk and give advice rather than letting another person think. Finally, Weir stirred. "What are the other steps to grief?"

"Bargaining, depression, and acceptance." Rachel shrugged. "These are a little less violent than the anger. But the depression can be troublesome if let go. With this entire city experiencing these symptoms at the same time, it could get tense. Again. Honestly, I'm not worried about how they'll handle the pressures of every day life. They've been doing that for years. I'm worried about how they'll handle the pressure of not having an Earth to return to."

Weir opened her mouth to speak, but the Stargate activated then. A moment later, the shield dropped, and Sheppard and his team stepped through. Rachel watched from Weir's office, content to observe the behavior of the team. McKay looked furious, as did Sheppard. Teyla and Ronon appeared only slightly less angry. Sheppard spoke with Weir, who nodded once and sent them off to the infirmary for their post-mission physical. Then, she turned and stared up at Rachel.

Rachel held her gaze, knowing that Elizabeth was thinking about their conversation. The news Sheppard brought back couldn't be good.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

He slipped into the warehouse after dark. It was always like this. When he went out to retrieve something, the drop-off location changed. But it was always a warehouse. Always after dark. Always someplace where he couldn't meet her directly.

Oh, he knew he worked for a woman. Had known it for years. But he didn't know who she was. She distorted her voice and remained in the shadows, preferring to give him instructions via video link. But this time was different. This time, he had been invited to her laboratory.

"Do you have it?" The distorted voice came from a small monitor in an office.

"Yes." He shrugged and then grunted in pain at the bullet wound in his shoulder. "Why did you need that particular bit of research?"

"For my plan." A light appeared behind him. "Take a look."

He turned and stepped over to the darkened window. The office looked down on what must have been an operating room of some kind. A hospital bed sat in the middle, unoccupied by anything more than tangled sheets. Various monitoring equipment circled the bed, reminding him of the isolation rooms on Atlantis. A man stood in the corner of the room, his back to the window. A moment later, the man turned, and his stomach dropped.

"How is this possible?" he asked the shadow on the screen behind him, a shadow he'd taken to calling "The Boss."

"Technology. Research." The woman seemed to be smiling. "And, now, with this new information, we will be able to make him as strong as we possibly can. Upgrade him, so to speak."

He continued to stare at the man moving around the room beneath him. He couldn't think straight for a moment, couldn't quell the anger. So _this_ was her grand plan? Well, this plan had so many holes in it that it barely held water.

Then, he stilled. This plan could work. With the shock of whatever had made the Alpha Site such an easy target, the Lanteans would be unable to react appropriately. He nodded, a smile breaking out on his face. Yes, this was a good plan.

~TBC


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Rachel slipped into a chair at the horse-shoe shaped table in the briefing room. Her chair sat closest to the door, an angle where she could observe everyone. Sheppard's team needed to debrief, and McKay had asked for Colonel Lorne to be present as well. Rachel attended because of Weir.

"Well," Sheppard began, "we had fun."

"Fun?" McKay asked. "We didn't have fun. _I _didn't have fun. I sat and sifted through God knows how much research to find the _one_ needle in the haystack that was missing."

Ronon scowled. "Wouldn't that make it easier to find?"

"What?" McKay was nonplussed.

"A needle in the haystack. Wouldn't it be easy to find?" Ronon asked.

"Oh, har-de-har-har." McKay glared.

Rachel made a note on the tablet she carried. While she remembered McKay from years ago, she'd hoped that he had made progress toward becoming a happier person. The destruction of Earth had not helped him in the least. While she still wanted to see Elizabeth and Sheppard first, McKay also jumped to the top of her priority list of patients. She caught Sheppard's glance and nodded slightly, indicating that she'd seen what was happening.

Weir leaned forward, shaking herself from her thoughts. "So, what was stolen?"

"Anna's research on the ATA gene, along with the archived files of Nephthys's research," McKay said all in one breath.

Rachel watched reactions. Sheppard, Teyla, and Ronon clearly knew based on their stoic acceptance. Weir, however, took the news like a blow to the gut. And Lorne's face hardened. Anger flitted across his features, and then the cold mask she remembered settled over his face. Rachel made another note on her tablet.

Weir blinked for a moment, clearly trying to come to grips with the news. "Who would want that?"

"Any number of the various and sundry bad guys we've faced over the years." McKay held up a finger. "Look, even the Wraith would find this stuff useful."

Rachel leaned forward, entering the conversation for the first time. "Yes, the Wraith would find that research useful, but they'd have to modify it significantly. The gene therapy was designed to interact with _human_ DNA, not Wraith DNA. And, while Wraith descended from humans and Iratus bugs, they're DNA is extremely different."

Sheppard squirmed in his chair. "I _hate_ those bugs."

McKay whirled on her. "Thank you, Miss Obvious. We all know that."

Rachel met his gaze. "You don't remember me, do you, Dr. McKay?" She smiled at his glare. "I worked with Dr. Lorne on the ATA retrovirus for Captain Brandt when he was host to Nephthys. I was her assistant." She continued to smile. "And, it's _Dr._ Obvious." She knew she shouldn't antagonize him, but, for some reason, she couldn't let the condescension continue.

Realization dawned on Sheppard's face. "I thought you looked familiar."

Rachel acknowledged that with a nod. "In reality, I don't know how much of the ATA therapy and Nephthys's research would do for the Wraith. It's been years since I was involved in genetics, but I do know that Nephthys was concerned with creating an advanced _human_ host with the ATA gene. Most of her research would focus on combining that with the naquadah in the host's bloodstream, not with the Wraith portion of it."

Sheppard sat forward. "So, not the Wraith."

"No, not likely." Even McKay had to grudgingly admit that Rachel was right. "I still don't have any idea who would want it. I mean, we're here, and we'll be here for years to come."

Rachel heard the anger in that statement and knew that McKay progressed through the grief faster than most. He seemed to have skipped the denial portion and gone straight to anger. But, from what she remembered, he was usually pretty angry.

The door to the briefing room opened, and Carson Beckett entered. Rachel watched him carry a tablet to Weir, his face worried. No, worried was not the correct adjective. He was stunned and a little angry. For Beckett, that said a lot.

Weir glanced at the tablet and did a double take. "You're sure about this, Carson?"

"I ran the test three times, though it took a bit for the database to sort through the DNA profiles." Beckett nodded. "I'm positive."

Weir nodded as Beckett sat down next to Lorne. "Okay, well we know who our burglar is, at least." She looked up and looked straight at Sheppard. "It's Major Chris Daniels."

Rachel watched the floor fall out from under the briefing room for the second time that day. The hits just kept coming, and she grew increasingly concerned for McKay. The man looked ready to have a stroke. She held up a hand. "I don't mean to interrupt. But who is Major Daniels?"

"Major Daniels is dead," Sheppard announced. "He was the Marine team leader we sent with Anna when she faced Nephthys. About a year after Nephthys died, he was killed in a battle with a Wraith hive."

"Not entirely true," McKay chimed in, intent on contradicting everything someone else said. "His Puddle Jumper was shot down and destroyed. We never found his body."

"We found his dog tags," Sheppard replied. "Point is, McKay, the man's been dead for years."

"Or so we thought." Lorne finally entered the conversation, his voice calm in spite of the anger Rachel saw flowing through his eyes. He had changed through the years, she realized. He wasn't so closed to everyone. "No matter how he survived, we declared him KIA at that point. Whether the Wraith got to him or not doesn't matter. He's still alive."

_Trust Lorne to bring the briefing back around to its intended topic_, Rachel thought. He'd always been rather focused on his career, which had intrigued so many women, herself included. Her job had just become more difficult. Now, instead of dealing with a break-in at the Alpha Site perpetrated by an unknown subject, they faced an enemy who knew them and understood their tactics. This only complicated the emotion surrounding Earth's destruction. Rachel clenched her fist in her lap. At the first chance she got, she was going to punch something. Hard.

Weir drew in a deep breath. "Do we know where Daniels is?"

"No." McKay again. "He didn't use the Stargate, either. Erickson and his men said the gate hadn't activated since our last resupply mission."

"Okay." Weir steepled her fingers. "Find me some answers."

McKay glared. "Working on it."

"And, while I have you all here," she continued, "I want to set something in motion. Dr. Harrison will be seeing all of us at one point or another in the next week." Weir looked around, meeting the gazes of every one there. "I don't care who you are, you will go. We're the command staff here, and we need to set an example. Not only that, but we need to be prepared to deal with the fallout all of this trouble will cause. Dr. Harrison is more knowledgeable than any of us in that regard, and her assistance will be invaluable."

From his position almost directly across from her, Sheppard smirked. Rachel stared at him, needing every ounce of self-control not to smirk back. After dealing with McKay's condescension for the majority of this briefing, she felt edgy. Frayed. And that wasn't a good place for the head of the psychology department to be. Instead of smirking at Sheppard, she nodded. "I'd like to start tomorrow, meeting with Dr. Weir and Colonel Sheppard first. Colonel Lorne, you'll be the next day. By tomorrow morning, I'll have appointments set up and memos in each of your inboxes."

Everyone around the table nodded, most of them not appearing angry at the suggestion. The briefing ended, and Rachel nearly ran for the door. She wanted to get out of the room before she gave in to the urge to deck McKay with every ounce of her strength. The man knew nothing about common courtesy, and he'd lived for over a hundred years. How did that happen?

After a short stop by her office to arrange her schedule, Rachel went to her room to change. She needed a good workout. Finding peace was a secondary objective. She needed a way to vent the pent-up energy inside her. Once she wore her workout gear, she found a sparring room with a punching bag hanging to one side. She began by stretching and bouncing, progressing into a full attack on the punching bag. As she did so, she imagined McKay's face on the bag.

Feminine laughter and Ronon's voice reached her ears as she delivered a reverse roundhouse kick to the bag. Rachel straightened and turned, surprised when Ronon entered the sparring room with a petite blond at his side. He stopped when he saw her. "Sorry. Didn't know this room was in use."

Rachel smiled and moved to get a drink of water. "That's alright." Her eyes went to the woman at his side. "I'm Rachel Harrison."

"Jennifer Keller." The blond smiled. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Rachel watched the two of them, not entirely sure what to do now. She wasn't accustomed to being interrupted during a workout. She decided to settle back into familiar territory and turned her attention to Ronon. "I've been meaning to find you. Colonel Sheppard recommended that I speak with you about recent events."

Ronon glanced at Keller. "Um. . .okay."

Keller glanced between the two of them. "I can leave."

Rachel shook her head. "No, that's okay. I was nearly done anyway."

"No, you weren't." Ronon's direct contradiction surprised her.

She tried to smile. "No, I wasn't. But that doesn't matter."

"Yeah, it does." Again, he contradicted her. "Look, I'm not a psychologist or anything. But I know what happens when you don't get that anger out. And you need to get that anger out."

Rachel's eyebrows rose at his blunt words. "Are you offering to be a punching bag?"

Ronon looked at Keller, and she shrugged. "I don't care. I'll sit and watch."

He turned back to Rachel. "Yeah, I guess I am."

Keller moved to the corner of the room where a bench and towels had been set up. Rachel faced Ronon, taking up a basic fighting stance. Ronon merely circled her. She understood his technique and had used it in the past during competitions. But, for now, she wanted to rely on what she truly understood. After circling each other for a few moments, Ronon attacked. Rachel deflected the attack quickly, and the match continued from there. Twenty minutes later, he took her down with an unexpected move from his years running from the Wraith.

Rachel lay on the floor, working to breathe after landing so hard. Ronon released her immediately, and she sat up, knowing she'd pay for that tomorrow. But it had felt so good to fight a moving target, not one that simply reacted to her attack. Keller stood to move to her side, but she waved her off. She didn't need a doctor. She needed a chance to catch the breath that Ronon knocked out of her.

Ronon offered a hand and pulled her to her feet. "Sorry about that."

"No need." Rachel grinned. "That was fun."

Keller and Ronon exchanged grins, and Rachel realized the nature of their relationship. She'd experienced that rush of adrenaline and attraction that came between a man and a woman when they worked out together. That rush usually ended elsewhere. Instead of commenting on it, she left the two of them staring at each other and grabbed her bottle of water.

"Uh, hey." Ronon stopped her exit. "We're going to get some dinner. Wanna come?"

Rachel glanced between the two. "I appreciate the offer, but. . . ."

Keller's face lit with understanding. "Oh! Oh, no, it's nothing like that. It's just that the team gets together for dinner most evenings."

"Oh." Rachel flushed at her assumption. "I see. Well, give me a few minutes to clean up, and I'll meet you in the mess hall."

"Great." Keller grinned and waved as she walked away.

Rachel returned to her room, tired but happy. As she soaked her sore muscles in the shower, she reflected on her day. If this "team dinner" went as well as the rest of the day had, she'd be happy.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Daniel's faced the man, anger skittering under the surface of the mask he kept on his face. He couldn't afford to lose it now. After all this time, the Lanteans would realize what they had done to this galaxy. Their control needed to end, and, if it took this other man to do it, then so be it.

He pulled the syringe from his pocket, knowing that this treatment had been synthesized long before his orchestrated break-in of the Alpha Site. That information would be examined and used when the time was right. For now, however, it was time to test a different drug. A new one. One that would render the Lanteans unable to resist what was about to come their way.

As the drug entered the other man's arm, Daniels grinned. Yes, it was about time, and he was happy to see it come.

~TBC


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Rachel entered the mess hall a little apprehensive. After all these years, she still worried about what people thought of her. Not that she cared. She'd still wear the tight jeans with frayed knees and the snug t-shirt with sandals no matter who said anything. Her hair, freshly dried, hung around her face, straight and slightly spiked at the ends. Her sandals whispered against the floor as she walked. She knew she looked like a twenty-first century teenager, and she didn't care.

Teyla, Ronon, Keller, and Sheppard sat at a table on the balcony, their chatter humming in the quiet. The mess hall normally buzzed, but it was empty tonight. It had been empty last night, too. Most of the personnel had not yet recovered enough to eat normally. Rachel made a mental note to have her people address that in the upcoming sessions coming their way even as she grabbed a tray and struggled to fill it. She needed to take her own advice before she started giving it out.

After filling her tray with salad, a banana, and grilled chicken, she acknowledged Keller's wave and headed for the table. Teyla smiled at her. "Welcome to Atlantis, Dr. Harrison."

"Rachel, please." She slid into a chair. "And thank you."

McKay arrived at that moment, his plate piled with everything the kitchen had prepared. "Oh, you. What are you doing here?"

Rachel choked on her water. "I'm sorry?"

"McKay!" Sheppard looked ready to kill. "Rachel's a member of the senior staff, _and_ Ronon and Keller invited her to dinner."

McKay eyed her and sat down as far from her as possible. Rachel worked to turn off the psychologist in her mind, but she couldn't help making mental notes. McKay was on her schedule for the following afternoon, and she'd already made it clear in her memo that no team would be going off-world without _her_ clearance, save for emergencies. The reason for that was simple. If she wasn't certain of their mental stability, she didn't want them wielding weaponry or in life-threatening situations.

The Lornes arrived a few moments later, holding hands and looking supremely comfortable with each other. Rachel paid particular attention to her chicken as they settled across from her. Years ago, she had almost hated Anna for her relationship with Lorne. That man had been the talk of Atlantis for so long, and Rachel fell under his spell. Now, after two long-term relationships on Earth, she knew what she'd felt for the then-Major was nothing more than a school girl crush. That crush still embarrassed her, and she refused to psycho-analyze herself on the matter.

Talk swirled around her until Sheppard decided to enter the conversation. "Rachel here also plays guitar," he announced.

Anna turned to her, excitement in her eyes. "Really?" She grinned. "Maybe you can get the colonel to stop ignoring the one in his quarters."

Her husband shook his head. "You haven't been able to do that in all these years, Hun. What makes you think she'll have any luck?"

Rachel shifted at his use of an endearment, but the others took it in stride. "I'm not a teacher. I mean, I guess I could teach if someone wanted, but that's not my forte."

Teyla leaned forward. "What do you play? Musically, I mean."

"Not classical." Rachel grinned and glanced at Anna briefly. "Sorry if that sounds harsh. I like classical music about as much as I like going to the dentist. I play rock with a touch of blues and jazz mixed in."

Lorne thought about that for a moment. "That's an interesting combination."

"Yeah." Sheppard finished his meal and sat back with his coffee cup in his hand. "She's also been part of a band."

Rachel wished he'd quit telling the group her musical history. "I was part of a small indie band about twenty years ago." She shrugged. "We had a good run, and then, like with all good bands, we fell a part."

Anna nodded. "Usually happens. Did you record anything?"

"A few albums to sell at concerts. I have copies in my quarters." She heard the sadness creep into her voice. "I'll have to let you listen to them sometime."

"That would be great." Anna's smile said she understood. "So, just guitar?"

"Not at first." Rachel wanted to hug her for changing the subject. "I started with bass."

"Really?" Anna sounded surprised.

Ronon frowned. "Which one's the bass?"

"The fun one." Rachel smiled as the topic found its way back to her favorite subject. "The bass holds down the bottom of the music and forms a bridge between the drums and the melody, whether piano or guitar." Ronon still looked confused, so she took pity on him. "Come to my office sometime, and I'll let you listen to it."

By now, everyone had finished eating, but no one wanted to leave. McKay's angry expression had faded, and he watched Rachel with something akin to awe. She inwardly hoped that he hadn't developed some sort of crush on her. _That would be just what I need_, she thought. As they talked, she studied their behavior.

Ronon and Keller were obviously dating, and Anna and Lorne looked closer than ever. Anna sat next to her husband, leaning against him as he put his arm around her shoulders. The others at the table accepted their behavior, and Rachel let out a deep breath as she realized that she felt nothing for Lorne beyond friendship. She'd been slightly nervous about seeing him again after nearly embarrassing herself years ago. Teyla seemed disconnected only because of her grace and poise. And Sheppard's eyes did the same analysis that Rachel now did. She buried a grin. That man certainly knew how to read people.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Sheppard watched everyone as they interacted. McKay's anger was to be expected, but it still made him difficult. Sheppard didn't blame him. He wanted to deck someone as well, but he refused to let it run away with him like McKay had. Now that the conversation flowed, it gave Sheppard the opportunity to assess his team. Part of him wished that he'd asked Ronon to spar before dinner, but the looks passing between the big guy and Keller told him that wouldn't have been an option.

Rachel had relaxed, he realized. Her eyes swept the group, assessing them and learning their personalities. He'd received her memo before coming and knew she wanted to talk to him tomorrow. While he understood the reasoning for that, he wasn't thrilled. Who would be thrilled to be going to the psychologist? He planned to use the time to learn her opinion on McKay and how to deal with the angry scientist.

"Well," he said as he sat forward, "it's been fun."

Like with every other night, the group took his cue and began to break up. Sheppard dumped his tray and headed for the door. He hadn't checked with Nadia today, and that bugged him slightly. Normally, he emailed her just after he got home from an off-world mission. It slipped his mind today. She would make him pay for it, and he knew how to get back on her good side. The problem? He wasn't sure he wanted back on her good side. The destruction of Earth and revelation that Daniels still lived made him reassess his life. Was he truly doing what he wanted?

He reached Nadia's room before he had an answer. She answered his entry request, looking as attractive as usual with her low-cut blouse and tight pants. It was what had first attracted him. Rather than greeting him with a kiss, however, she let him in and glared at him with her arms crossed across her chest. "Where were you?"

"Dinner." Sheppard eyed her. "Didn't know that was a problem."

Nadia blinked, and realization of what she'd just said dawned on her face. "Sorry. I'm just a little out of sorts today."

Finally feeling like he was back on familiar footing, he reached out and pulled her into his arms. "No worries." He kissed her, enjoying how she responded to him. "How was your day?"

Late that night, as Nadia slept on his shoulder, Sheppard stared at the ceiling and wondered if he really knew what he was doing. He should have left long ago, but he hadn't. Since returning from Earth, he had spent the night in Nadia's quarters every night. What was he running from? John knew the answer, but he didn't want to think about it. Instead, he ignored the whisper in his mind and forced himself to sleep.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Rachel sat in her office early the next morning, going over personnel files and trying to get a feel for the three officers on her schedule that day. Dr. Weir had her concerned. She knew enough to realize that Weir hadn't been appointed over Atlantis because she was a pretty face. Weir took an active role in everything, and her almost catatonic state yesterday concerned Rachel. Shock had frozen the governor of Atlantis.

The door opened, and Rachel's first appointment of the day appeared. Ronon entered and looked a little out of place. "Uh. . .you wanted to see me?"

Rachel stood and motioned to the pair of chairs she'd arranged near the window. Her office boasted a private balcony, and she intended to use it in the future. For now, though, she let the sea-scented air flood the office. "Yes. Thank you for coming."

"You're welcome." Ronon settled in the chair she indicated.

Rachel curled into her own chair, more comfortable with her feet under her than crossed neatly at the ankles. She'd dressed carefully for the day, knowing that Dr. Weir and Colonel Sheppard needed her to appear professional and capable. Her hair coiled in an elegant bun at the back of her head, and simple pearl studs decorated her ears. For now, though, she wanted to be at ease. She looked at Ronon. "Colonel Sheppard recommended that I speak with you."

Ronon eyed the office. "Okay."

Rachel smiled at him. "Relax, Ronon. I didn't ask you to come here as a patient." Her smile faded. "As chief psychologist for Atlantis, it falls to me to help the expedition through Earth's destruction and the emotional results of that. But I can't help them if I can't cope with it myself. Since you're the only member of this expedition that has gone through this, I hoped you'd be willing to play psychologist for me."

He blinked at her. "You're sure?"

"Yes." She held up a hand to stop him from speaking just yet. "I know you're a warrior. I know that you don't get into feelings. But I need someone to talk to, even if I can treat myself. Keeping everything bottled inside won't do me any good."

He moved, bracing his elbows on his knees and staring directly into her eyes. "You want to know about Sateda?" When she nodded, he blinked again. "Just be ready for memories. They'll come in time."

"They already have." Rachel went on to speak about the band she'd joined. Ronon listened carefully, never trying to offer comfort or his opinion. She appreciated that. She knew she could treat herself if necessary. She needed someone to listen and help her work through the emotions she hadn't allowed herself to feel. When, an hour later, the emotional barriers began to come down, she called an end to their talk with a little laugh. "I haven't talked that much in one sitting in years."

Ronon stared at her, his eyes narrowing. "I don't like to talk."

"That's what women are for," she quipped, trying to lighten the mood. "Look, I know you're not into all this psychology, but I needed this. Can you come back tomorrow?"

"Yeah." He stood. "I'll be in the gym tonight, if you need to let out some of that anger."

Rachel smiled at the offer and moved onto the balcony as he left. She appreciated his offer more than he knew. As the Lantean wind blew through her hair, she let the salty air cleanse her. Dr. Weir would arrive in the next few moments, and she needed her mind as clear as possible. She sighed, wishing she'd thought to bring one of her guitars into the office for times like this.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Daniels watched the other man go through the paces. He was impressed. This compound that the Boss had synthesized made the other man quite strong and agile. He wondered what it was, but didn't ask. It looked suspiciously like the Wraith enzyme that was the rage a few years back. He hoped it wasn't, though, because the other man hopped up on the enzyme and spouting crazy ideas was just a bad idea.

Then, Daniels grinned. This couldn't be going any better. The Lanteans were oblivious. They sat back in Atlantis, comfortable and smug in their superiority. Well, soon, they would learn just how precarious their position really was. The next day, barring any complications on this test, Daniels had been ordered to take the Boss's newest weapon out into the field. They wouldn't do much damage, just attack a few settlements and take over one world. But it would be enough get the attention they needed.

In the end, Daniels mused, the Lanteans would face the truth: they were a force from the past, weakened by time and needing new leadership. The leadership that only he could provide.

~TBC


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **Contains spoilers for "Duet." Let me know what you think. ~lg

Chapter Five

Late the following evening, Sheppard slipped from Nadia's quarters. Atlantis was quiet this evening, most of her inhabitants still reeling from the events of a few days ago. He began walking along the corridors, not really paying attention to where he went with his mind focused on where he'd just been. He truly cared for Nadia, but he couldn't take much more of her neediness.

When they first started seeing each other, Nadia had been a beautiful archaeologist fresh from Earth. Her dark hair fell in waves to her shoulders. Dark glasses, still used simply for fashion's sake, made her dramatic makeup even more appealing. And she'd been fun. At first, they kept their relationship off the radar, choosing to sneak to the others quarters after hours rather than allowing others to see it like Anna and Lorne had. Then, that led to the nights they spent together. Sheppard had liked being needed. He had someone to kiss his injuries better when an off world mission went sour, and she often wanted him to hold her at the end of a stressful day. Then, somewhere along the way, she changed. Now, she demanded to know where he'd been and who he had been with. He didn't want to just drop her and break her heart even more than Earth's destruction had, but he wasn't about to be controlled, either.

Doc Harrison had asked about Nadia the day before. At first, he thought she was prying. Then, she'd explained that she wanted to know which of her patients had a support system and which ones didn't. Sheppard had shifted in his seat and simply told her that he was seeing someone.

"Casually?" she asked. "Or is this someone you can talk to? I ask, Colonel, because we all need to be able to share things without them getting around Atlantis. I have my confidantes, not to mention my outlets. I want to make sure you have yours."

With that statement, the doc opened herself up to questions, and the "counseling session" became something of a discussion. They talked about music, friendship, what it meant to sacrifice your life, and the military in general. He knew that she had steered the conversation, but he willingly went along with it if only to make her comfortable with clearing him to go off world again.

Sheppard scowled as he changed his direction. Like she'd agreed, Doc Harrison had just sent him a memo listing who had been cleared for off world missions. She hadn't revealed anything that would violate doctor-patient confidentiality, but she had listed the names he could use to get back out in the galaxy. Lorne had passed with flying colors, but McKay had been grounded. Sheppard was glad his second-in-command could still go off world. He wasn't so happy that his team's science whiz had been restricted to base.

He found McKay in his lab, completely absorbed in whatever was on his computer. Sheppard stood in the doorway, waiting to be recognized. When McKay never looked up, he cleared his throat. "Good stuff?"

Rodney looked up. "What?" His confused expression faded. "Oh, it's you."

"It's me." Sheppard walked around the table and eyed the computer screen. "I asked if it was good stuff."

"Yes, of course it's good stuff." McKay rolled his eyes. "This is incredibly important stuff, too. So I'll thank you not to distract me."

"Well, it can't be _that_ important." Sheppard shrugged. "I mean, you stopped working to eat." When McKay didn't answer, he frowned. "McKay!"

"What?"

"You _have_ eaten, haven't you?"

"No, not hungry right now." Rodney went back to his computer. "I'll eat later, after I finish."

"_You're_ not hungry?" Sheppard stared. Even in the worst of times, McKay always made time for food. If he ignored his stomach, then he needed to stay on Atlantis until Doc Harrison figured out how to help him. Sheppard hated to admit it now, but the doc had made the right call. Rather than telling McKay this, he jabbed a thumb toward the door. "C'mon. Let's go eat."

"What? Why?'' McKay scowled at him. "I just told you I wasn't hungry."

"And it's almost midnight." Sheppard glared. "You skipped lunch. I know. I was there while you complained about your appointment with Dr. Harrison rather than eating. And, if I'm right, you haven't eaten dinner, yet. That's not like you." He wiped the glare from his face. "Speaking of, how did your appointment with the doc go?"

That got Rodney's attention. He saved his work and stared at Sheppard. "She told me I can't go off world." He grabbed his ever-present tablet and walked out of the lab, going into full rant mode. "I mean, come on. Who does she think she is to restrict me to Atlantis? I am the most qualified here to deal with any of the various and sundry things we face every day. Just the other day, I found that the ATA gene research had been stolen. Who else could have done it as fast as I did? Hmm?"

Sheppard knew he didn't want an answer and steered him toward the mess hall, waiting for the rest of the rant to continue.

McKay did not disappoint. "I don't care what she used to be when she was here, but that woman is _not_ a doctor." He held up his finger. "Carson and Dr. Keller are barely scientists! How do you expect me to respect Harrison when she studies and practices a pseudo-science that shouldn't really exist?"

"Well, she seems to have you pegged." Sheppard couldn't resist needling him.

"What?" McKay stared at him. "Oh, of course. She cleared you. What did you do? Spill your guts just to get cleared?"

"No." Sheppard frowned. "She cleared me yesterday after we talked for about two hours. Cleared Elizabeth, too."

"Well, of course she cleared Elizabeth. Who would run things around here if Elizabeth was out of commission for a while?" McKay glanced at him as he raised his hand. "Oh, right. Well, what about Teyla and Ronon?"

"Ronon was her first appointment."

That stopped McKay. "I thought he was seeing Keller."

Sheppard rolled his eyes as he grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl. "Just because she has an appointment with Ronon doesn't mean she's seeing him, or even interested in him."

The two men left the mess hall a few minutes later, McKay complaining about Doc Harrison the entire time. Sheppard listened, knowing this was what McKay needed. Rodney wasn't the type to open up to psychologists. His experience with Cadman all those years ago had only confirmed his dislike of psychologists. Because of Heightmeyer's influence, Cadman had taken over Rodney's body in the middle of a date, making him kiss the girl in a very flamboyant fashion. Even now, Sheppard tried not to laugh as he thought about all the havoc that caused.

They eventually ended up in a deserted portion of Atlantis, not really paying attention to their noise level. This portion of the city was devoted to scientific research. Most of the people who worked here slept, not really looking forward to the next day. Sheppard didn't mind. It gave him time to really study McKay and challenge himself. After all, McKay had smoked him in their last remote control car race. Of course, McKay cheated by upgrading his car, but Sheppard had fixed that. He'd souped up his red Corvette, and it was his turn to leave McKay in the dust.

Several things happened next. Sheppard's car did leave McKay's behind, but it collided with a sneaker that entered the corridor at the wrong time. Doc Harrison, ear buds in place and attached to the old Ipod at her waist, stumbled at the sudden impact, stepping directly in the way of McKay's yellow Mustang. McKay reacted instantly, trying to steer the car from danger. The doc also tried to sidestep the two cars and tripped on her own feet. As she went down, her arm ripped the cord for her ear buds from the Ipod. Funky guitar music and a growling tenor filled the hallway, surprising both men at the volume.

Sheppard stared as the doc fell and then shoved his controller into McKay's hands. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah." Rachel grinned at him as she turned off the music. "That was interesting."

"To say the least." Sheppard held out a hand to help her to her feet, and she took it. "We weren't expecting company."

"I wasn't expecting to be here." She dusted herself off and moved to where Rodney stood staring at her. "Couldn't sleep and thought I'd go for a run." She looked around at the cars facing different directions in the corridor. "I've never raced these before."

Sheppard's eyebrows rose to his hairline. "Really?"

"Nope." She grinned at him, her hands going to her hips.

Rather than focusing on her rather distracting pink sweats and tank top, he handed his remote controller to her. "Here. Try this."

McKay rolled his eyes. "Oh, here we go."

Sheppard gave him an irritated glare before showing Rachel how the controller worked. On her first try, she drove the car directly into the wall. He cringed but didn't get mad. Instead, he put his hands over hers as he showed her the finer points of controlling the Corvette. When she turned the car, she leaned into him. Sheppard suddenly stared at her, losing the ability to think. Her nearness appealed, and her laugh intrigued him. As did her habit of sticking the tip of her tongue out of her mouth as she took over the controls completely. Sheppard continued to study her, realizing that the doc was one gorgeous woman.

Without warning, she glanced at him, and her face flushed. Sheppard grinned, wondering what she'd seen in that moment. He knew she read people well. It was part of her job.

McKay snorted. "Okay, _Kirk_. Aren't you seeing Nadia, anyway?"

Sheppard turned, intent on throttling McKay. Beside him, Rachel stiffened and gave the controller back to him. "Thank you, Colonel. It was fun."

He stared at her, grinning again. "No problem."

Rachel eyed him, seeing the anger seething behind the calm façade. She grinned back, knowing that Sheppard had ways of dealing with McKay that would make any person cringe. The scientist didn't stand a chance for embarrassing him with one comment. She put a hand on his chest simply to irritate McKay and leaned close to whisper, "Just don't get caught."

Sheppard stayed in her personal space for another few seconds. "Don't plan on it."

She stepped back then and turned her Ipod on. A moment later, the corridor quieted as she plugged the ear buds back into the device and took off again. She still heard Sheppard berate McKay over the loud music that filled her head, but she didn't turn as she jogged back to her quarters. Sheppard knew how to take care of himself. She almost expected McKay to appear the next day, apologizing out of a fear of Sheppard's wrath. Almost.

In her quarters, Rachel turned off the Ipod and dropped it in a drawer. A triple guitar stand stood beside the window, two basses and one electric guitar shining in the Lantean moonlight. Her favorite guitars, the black and white Peavey she played the day Sheppard found her and an Ovation Celebrity, occupied stands behind her office desk. After her appointment with McKay earlier that day, she had locked the door and played for thirty minutes. Now, she wanted to play again. All these emotions flowing through her needed an outlet.

After her shower, Rachel lay down in bed and stared at the ceiling. She had patients tomorrow, as well as her meeting with Ronon. The two hadn't talked much since that first morning, but she had found that the Satedan talked best when in the gym. They had arranged to meet before the duty shift started for a little friendly sparring. And it was her day to see Drs. Beckett and Keller, as well as Zelenka. She really needed to sleep so she could be clear-headed.

But Sheppard kept invading her thoughts. When she caught him staring at her, her heart rate had jumped to dangerous speeds. That man should come with a warning label! Still, he had held back from what she saw in his face. Had McKay not been there, Rachel had no doubt that he would have kissed her. For the first time, she was grateful for McKay's presence.

Rachel rolled over on her side, staring out the window. This was the last thing she needed. After her last tour on Atlantis ended, she determined that she would never develop a crush on another man. She had spent her previous time here watching Lorne out of the corner of her eye, and then she realized that he knew of her infatuation with him. Only, by that time, he had proposed to Anna. Rather than facing the embarrassment day after day, Rachel chose to go home.

She couldn't go home, now. This was home. Her heart slowed at the thought of Earth. She had taken off to run when her memories of Earth overwhelmed her. The run had distracted her for a short time, but the memories returned. She stared at the Lantean moons and quietly cried herself to sleep.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

The raids went according to plan. Daniels stood next to the Stargate, satisfied at the work taking place before him. This world, a small colony of Jeneb, wouldn't be discovered for months. After all, Jeneb had so many colonies in the Pegasus galaxy now. The help the Lanteans gave them over the years spurred them to colonize and develop new worlds, especially those destroyed by the Wraith. With the number of small colonies spread out across the galaxy, the Lanteans wouldn't know what hit them until it was too late.

Now it was time for his next assignment. Daniels grinned as he thought about it. He should protest, but he couldn't. The Boss's secret weapon had worked admirably well, and the genetic therapies were a success. With that assignment behind him, he could focus on what he really wanted. He was going home. The next phase of their plan required someone who would work behind the scenes, silencing problems and providing much-needed intelligence.

His eyes went to the sky, and his grin turned into a laugh. Yes. He was going home. Home to Atlantis.

~TBC


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Rachel woke with a pounding headache. She slapped the alarm clock next to her bed and stumbled into the bathroom. Cold water on her face helped, but it didn't solve all her problems. Only time would solve those. Instead of dwelling on that fact, she dressed in her workout clothes, pulled her hair into a bun, and headed for the gym. Ronon waited for her, pacing along one edge of the sparring mat.

"Sorry I'm late." Rachel dropped her bag next to the wall and began some stretches.

Ronon's eyes swept over her as if he were diagnosing her. "No problem."

After stretching, Rachel walked to the mat and took up her normal fighting stance. Ronon circled her, finding every weakness in her defense. Today, there were too many of them. She still flushed every time she thought about Sheppard, and the thought of Earth brought tears to her eyes. Realizing that Ronon looked for these kinds of distractions, Rachel put them from her mind as he came at her. For the next half hour, they circled, punched, kicked, and grappled. Rachel knew she'd never defeat Ronon, but it felt good to have something alive to fight. A punching bag would not do much for her right now.

Ronon finally took her down, knocking the breath out of her as usual. He stepped back and apologized as she propped her hands on her knees. Rachel waved him off, finally bleeding off some of the emotion from the previous evening. Rather than spilling her guts about Sheppard, she talked about Earth. The memories, the people, and the conveniences that she missed. Ronon listened closely, not saying anything. Rachel didn't need him to speak. She needed a person who understood.

Anger bubbled under the surface as she spoke. Her voice rose, and she suddenly wanted to hit something. Anything. By this time, she'd moved to the bench at the side of the room and sat next to Ronon. Others came into the gym, and Rachel knew her time was up. She thanked Ronon for the workout and went to take a shower.

Breakfast wasn't much better. Rachel appeared at the same time Sheppard did. He gave her a challenging grin as he sat down to eat. Not really wanting to dwell on what happened the night before, she slipped into a seat at the opposite end of the table and began to eat without speaking. Ronon and Keller arrived a moment later, followed closely by Rodney. Carson wouldn't be there as he had worked the night shift in the infirmary.

McKay settled next to Sheppard and froze when he saw Rachel. "Oh. You're here."

"I'm here." Rachel raised an eyebrow, wondering why she always wanted to antagonize him. "Is that a problem?"

"No." McKay looked at his food.

Rachel exchanged glances with Sheppard, seeing the scowl on his face. She turned back to McKay. "Did you have something to say to me?"

"No." McKay seemed to consider this. "Actually, yes." He turned to face her, causing Keller and Ronon to glance at each other knowingly. Teyla, who had just arrived, stayed silent as McKay lifted a finger. "I want to know why someone like you thinks you can keep me on Atlantis until you say otherwise."

Rachel blinked. "You're angry because I refused to clear you for off world missions?" She looked around and noticed Anna and Lorne making their way toward the table. "Do you really want to do this here?"

"Where else would we do this?" McKay still kept that superior smirk on his face.

The Lornes sensed the tension at the table and settled in quietly. Rachel never looked at them, choosing instead to stare at Rodney. "It's not exactly a private setting, and I don't know that you want your personal business, not to mention my professional opinion of you, spread among your friends. Some things are meant to stay private."

"Professional opinion?" McKay put down his fork. "Someone like you doesn't have a professional opinion."

Sheppard glared. "McKay!"

"No, Sheppard, you stay out of this." McKay turned to Rachel. "She's not a real doctor. She isn't even a scientist in my opinion." At that comment, Keller choked. Sheppard sat back and folded his arms across his chair, apparently giving Rachel permission to correct McKay. Anna and Lorne exchanged glances, and Teyla's mouth dropped open. Only Ronon grinned. He seemed to anticipate seeing McKay put in his place.

Rachel drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "First of all, I am a scientist. I hold multiple doctorates in genetics, psychology, and sociology. Secondly, I have years of experience and research, not to mention a few breakthroughs that changed Earth's applications of psychology in the last few years."

"I'll give you the degree in genetics," McKay said. "But psychology? And sociology? Come on. Those are mostly guesswork and assumption."

"Psychology is the study of human behavior and the mental and emotional drives behind it." Rachel warmed to her topic. "It is useful in situations such as ours because it allows a person, such as myself, to understand what is happening behind the scenes. Why does Ronon fight, for example? There are reasons beyond the obvious, and a psychologist can help someone face those problems and cope with the reasons.

"Sociology, on the other hand, is the study of society. It is useful in situations such as ours to study the society around us, allowing us to understand how the scientific community and the military relate to each other. It also helps with that interaction by understanding the stratification of those communities and finding ways to overcome it." Rachel felt a slight bit of satisfaction at the understanding expressions on Ronon and Teyla's faces. Sheppard turned to McKay, almost daring the scientist to speak. Rachel continued, "Psychologists and sociologists use a variety of time-tested methods-including counseling and diagnosis-to assist patients with their emotional or mental troubles. We work to make sure others are as healthy as possible, much the same way a medical doctor does, so that your mental health is such that you can withstand the many stresses of life here in Pegasus."

"Ah, there's where you're wrong." McKay grinned, and he looked like a child with a new toy. "Your methods aren't time-tested. They're guesswork, as I said, and they don't help anything. Most people who go to psychologists are simply looking for someone to solve their problems instead of doing the work themselves. And psychologists just give them medication to appease them."

"Ever heard of the word 'confidante?'" Rachel asked.

"Well, of course."

"That's exactly what a psychologist does." She shrugged. "Most people in our society-particularly here on Atlantis-face too many things to be able to adequately express them to others. We all have our unique pressures to face here, and not everyone is comfortable sharing with others in their social circle. Hence, the reason for a psychologist, for a person bound by duty to be a confidante and keep those revelations to themselves. And, for the record, I do not prescribe medication unless there's a severe chemical imbalance. I feel that too many people are overmedicated and under-treated."

"And what difference does this make on the grand scheme of things?" McKay asked smugly. "When the city is about to explode, who is called in to save it at the eleventh hour? Hmm? Not you. No, they call those who can actually _do_ something about. They call people, like myself, who have the skills and understanding of the city's extremely complicated systems to be able to reroute power, fix the ZedPM, hack into the database, and do any number of overly complicated tasks that are too numerous to name."

"And who do they call when there's nothing wrong with the city but everything wrong with the _people_ in the city?" Rachel quietly laid her trap. "What can you do when there's something wrong with the people, and you don't have the skills or understanding of the mind's extremely complicated systems? Who is it that studies the thought processes and the motivations behind actions? After all, the brain is simply an organic computer system."

Sheppard glanced at McKay. "She's got you there."

"I still don't see what this has to do with me not being able to go off world." McKay finally brought the conversation back to his original complaint.

Rachel bit her lip, not wanting to explode at him. She so wanted to put him in his place, but telling everyone what she'd observed in the short time she'd been back to Atlantis wouldn't inspire confidence in her. Instead, she simply stared at him.

Sheppard clearly understood the look. "Give it up, McKay. You're not getting out of this one, and you're not getting an answer right now. If you want to ask the doc about it in a private session, then feel free."

Rachel sent him a grateful look and gathered her tray. "If you will excuse me, I have appointments this morning."

The gathering broke up after that, and everyone went their separate ways. McKay and Sheppard left together, the two arguing about Rodney's restrictions to Atlantis. Rachel walked to her office, thinking about the confrontation. She hated feeling pressured to defend her work, but she had enjoyed the scientific nature of the confrontation. For the first time, she realized that McKay had to question everything. It was his nature as a scientist. In her office, she pulled up his file and made a few notes. She planned to make use of this revelation to get to the reason he couldn't go off world just yet. If it worked, he'd be cleared within two weeks.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Daniels piloted the Puddle Jumper from the bay of the Boss's ship with ease. He hadn't flown in one of these for years, but it came back with ease. He supposed he should be grateful to those on Atlantis for the ability to fly this thing, but he couldn't summon the emotion. All he felt was hate. And excitement. Seeing the city again after so many years would be worth the trouble he faced in trying to infiltrate it. But he had his plan.

As soon as he cleared the Boss's ship, he cloaked the Jumper and headed for New Lantea. The flight would take hours. In order to keep Atlantis from detecting them, the Boss had outfitted her own ship with a larger version of the Jumper's cloak. Then, Daniels left the ship at the edge of the solar system. He didn't anticipate the fifteen hour flight, but the results would be worth it.

Hours later, he flew over Atlantis, fixing the city's position on the planet in his Jumper's navigational system. Then, he flew to a distant spot in the ocean before submerging the Jumper. The water surrounding him reminded him of time spent in a submarine back on Earth, and he smiled. Those were good days.

Atlantis eventually loomed in front of him, and he circled the city to find what he sought. Once there, he reached for the laptop he'd taken from the Alpha Site. This one computer hadn't held much data, but the flash drives made up for that. Now, he punched in the command codes he'd recovered from the flash drives and watched as a wall in Atlantis's belly slid open. This underwater Jumper bay was rarely, if ever, guarded. The only time in Daniels's memory that it had been used was when the Ancients took over the city. Colonel Sheppard and a team infiltrated Atlantis after the Replicators invaded, using this underwater bay to get in undetected. Daniels grinned. Just as the city had been rescued by this little-used bay, so it's destruction would come from the same bay.

Landing the Jumper, he waited until the city pumped the water back into the ocean. Then, he opened the door and stepped out, straightening his uniform. During the raids a few days ago, he acquired the uniform he needed for his job. The young lieutenant he'd killed hadn't enjoyed his reward, but Daniels refused to dwell on that. Right now, he needed the uniform more than that lieutenant.

No one stopped him as he blended into the life around him. He considered his options and settled on his alias. Lieutenant Daniel Brady had a ring to it, he decided. And, as a lieutenant, he would be free to wander the city under the guise of military duty. His appearance had changed in previous years, losing the rigid military look for a more modern spiked hairstyle. Hey, if Sheppard could get away with messy hair, so could he.

He procured some quarters rather easily. The young lieutenant he'd killed had carried dog tags. Daniels simply hacked into personnel records and took those quarters. His skills had changed in the years since he last lived here. He could now hold his own on a computer, thanks to the Boss's training and insistence. That night, as he settled back on his bed, he grinned at the ceiling. Yes, this was where he belonged. One day, he would stand in the control room and give the order that would bring his empire to the Pegasus galaxy.

~TBC


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The following morning, Rachel skipped breakfast in favor of soaking her aching muscles in a hot bath. She hadn't faced an opponent with Ronon's skill in years. Even after she left competition kickboxing, she kept those skills fresh. But, Ronon managed to bring her down every time. She needed to step up her game.

As she dressed and headed for her office, Rachel told herself she wasn't avoiding Sheppard. She simply cared about moving in spite of the various muscles that screamed for her attention. The draw she felt toward him and the knowledge of his relationship with Nadia had nothing to do with her decision to stay away from him. _Sure, Rachel,_ she thought, _keep telling yourself that. You might believe it one day._

In her office, Rachel looked at her schedule and let out a deep breath. Her first patient was Anna Lorne. She wasn't ready to face that woman again. Just greeting her the day the SGC dialed in to tell them of the nuclear war had taken every ounce of her willpower. Even years later, Rachel's crush on Lorne embarrassed her. She didn't want to talk about it with the man's wife. When she made the decision to return to Atlantis, she told herself that she wouldn't become involved with any man on the base. She'd been there, done that, lost two of them, and didn't want the t-shirt.

Anna arrived while Rachel stood on her balcony. She slipped out the door. "Dr. Harrison?"

Rachel turned, neutral smile in place. "Dr. Lorne, come in."

"Anna, please." The geneticist walked to the rail of the balcony. "It never gets old, does it?"

"No." Rachel returned her attention to the horizon. She'd worn her hair twisted into a messy bun that day, and a twinge of jealousy stirred over Anna's hip-length hair that swirled in the breeze. Rather than dwelling on that thought, she drew in the sea-scented air. "I'm so glad they gave me this balcony office. Perk of the job, I guess."

Anna grinned. "Imagine my surprise when, after Elaine was born, Evan took me to our new quarters. They had a balcony, though not as high up as this, and the sunsets through those stained glass doors are phenomenal."

"I can imagine." Rachel tried to stop the flush that crept onto her face. Hearing the woman talk about Lorne so personally unsettled her. Seeing Anna's face so calm, she decided to stay on the balcony for this visit. "How are you doing? Really?"

"As good as can be expected." Anna glanced at her. "I have a little more experience with the unexpected and devastating than most people."

"I guess you do." Rachel thought about the entire fiasco with Nephthys. "I just need to get an idea of how everyone is coping. Particularly department heads."

"I know losing Earth isn't the same as being taken by a Goa'uld," Anna said. "But I lost a lot of people to that snake, and I've also been through losing Evan's family." She shrugged. "For me, Earth wasn't home after Nephthys. It was a place I visited."

Rachel stared at her. How could someone with her history be so at peace? "I wish I had your confidence."

"It's not confidence." Anna grinned. "It's a husband who doesn't care if I cry at night. It's being able to talk to him in silence and know he understands."

Rachel swallowed, trying to look at this as a psychologist would. After all, Anna's state of mind was such that she could take Rachel's place. But Rachel couldn't forget her crush on Lorne. That made the entire appointment awkward. "You know, I have a confession to make."

Anna turned in surprise. "Oh?"

"Yeah." Rachel twisted her hands together. "I sort of had a thing for Colonel Lorne back in the day." She looked up and saw the other woman smiling in that classic Lorne way. "I mean, we never dated, and I don't think he even noticed me. But, it was there."

"I know." Anna's smile widened. "And I understand. Don't give it a second thought."

A second thought? Right. Like she would tell Anna that she now felt that way toward Sheppard. Or that she still found Lorne attractive in a distant sort of way. Time had taught her many things, but she was alive. She noticed good-looking men.

As if sensing her discomfort, Anna motioned toward the door of the office. "I noticed you have two guitars in there."

"Yeah." Rachel jumped on the familiar topic. "Those are the two I felt comfortable bringing to the office." She led the way back inside. "Did you want to play one?"

Anna grinned at her and reached for the acoustic-electric hybrid on it's own stand. "I've only seen these in pictures."

Rachel leaned against her desk. "It's an Ovation Celebrity hybrid, spruce top with mother-of-pearl inlays on the fret board."

Anna nodded appreciatively as she ran her fingers over the strings. "What brand of string do you use?"

"Ernie Ball."

"I use D'Addario."

"D'Addario's good, but Ernie Ball has a deeper tone." Rachel shrugged. "Now that we can't get them anymore, I don't know what I'll use."

"The Athosians have some good cat-gut-type strings that work really well." Anna returned to strumming the strings. A moment later, she began playing a complicated Mariachi-sounding tune. It sounded good for the first few notes, and then she buzzed the strings. "Oh, that was ugly."

Rachel grinned. "I know the feeling."

"Well, the fret board is narrow." Anna handed the guitar back to her. "I'm used to my Martin."

Rachel's eyebrows rose. "You have a Martin?"

"It was my grandmother's." Anna pointed at the guitar in Rachel's hands. "Can I hear something?"

Rachel found the pick she'd dropped into a small dish on her desk and began to play. She ran through several of her favorite rock-n-roll riffs, enjoying the feel of the guitar as much as the sound it made. This had been her husband's, and she kept it for more than just the memories attached to it. The round-back guitar resembled a medieval lute, with a slight pear-shape to the body. The blue spruce top still gave off it's pungent scent, and, rather than the traditional sound hole, it had smaller sound holes scattered through several spruce-wood leaves stained a bright maple red. Her fingers found the strings easily, and she smiled at the music that filled the office.

Anna nodded appreciatively as she put the guitar back on the stand. "Very nice."

"Thanks." Rachel grinned. "I was married to the guy who owned it, and I got it after he passed away."

Anna stared at her, surprised. "You were married?"

"For about twenty years." Rachel sobered. "After I returned to Earth, the SGC set me up with an identity a few years younger than I really was. That made it possible for me to marry him and stay married for about twenty years. He died in a car accident just before our twenty-first anniversary."

"I'm sorry."

"Thank you." Rachel gave her another smile, this one sad. "Such is the nature of our lives."

"Yes, it is."

Anna left after that, and Rachel locked the door to her office. She hadn't wanted to talk about her past, but the nugget about her marriage slipped before she could stop it. She went back to the guitars, picking up the Ovation and settling in a chair she'd put on the balcony. As she played, she remembered the hours she spent with the man who had taught her to play, and she cried.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

A few days later, Sheppard headed for the gym. He'd heard rumors about Ronon sparring with the new psychologist and wanted to see for himself. Rachel wasn't what he'd pictured as a psychologist, but her reports told him that she knew her stuff. Today, however, he stared as Ronon grappled with her and took her down. She bounced up a moment later, her eyes sparkling and her hands ready to continue the match.

Ronon noticed him at that moment. "Sheppard."

"Hey, buddy." Sheppard grinned at Rachel. "Having fun?"

She shrugged. "If you call getting your behind handed to you fun, then yes."

Sheppard blinked, suddenly wanting to discover just what this woman could do. He glanced at Ronon. "You mind?"

"Go ahead." Ronon walked over to the bench in the room, taking a drink of water as Rachel narrowed her eyes at Sheppard.

She seemed to gauge his abilities. "I have years of experience."

"So do I," Sheppard circled her, already enjoying the way her eyes glittered as she assessed him. He lashed out in a move that Teyla had taught him years ago, and she blocked him easily. She returned the gesture, however, with a quick jab at his ribs. It got through, but he managed to break her speed enough so that she barely touched him. "That all you got?" he asked as she tried to wrestle her arm away from his hold.

"Not quite." She stepped on his toe with enough force to surprise him. Then, she danced back and aimed a kick at his head. He managed to block it, but she backed out of his reach before he sufficiently recovered.

Sheppard's focus sharpened. He hadn't had this much fun in years. Rachel was clearly well-trained, and her technique displayed a few moves she'd picked up from Ronon. And she liked to fight dirty, something to be admired in the Pegasus galaxy. This should be interesting. He kept the conversation going as they sparred, preferring to hear her witty comebacks. As she tired, however, she quit talking. Sheppard knew his opportunity would present itself soon. And it did. She lowered her guard for a second, and he moved in to grab her wrist. Before she could react, he swept her feet out from her with one kick and pinned her to the mat.

"Nice." She drew in a deep breath and smirked. "But I allowed that. You wouldn't have gotten through my defense if I hadn't."

"You allowed that?" Sheppard grinned. "I don't think so. _I_ made that happen."

"You think so?" She stared at him. "You're pretty sure of yourself, aren't you?"

"I took you down." Suddenly, the flirting wasn't enough. He felt her wiggle under his hold, and his eyes dropped to her lips.

Rachel stared at Sheppard. When his eyes dropped to her mouth, she suddenly knew why he'd wanted to spar with her. To her shame, she didn't want to stop him. Ronon left the room, and she stared at the emotions flickering through Sheppard's eyes. He wanted to kiss her, but he also held himself back. That intrigued her as much as it confused her. And what about Nadia?

That thought acted like a cold shower. Rachel snapped back to the present and forced Sheppard to back away as she sat up. He stood and pulled her to her feet, not saying a word as she reached for a towel and a drink of water. The easy banter of a few moments ago vanished, leaving awkwardness and tension it its place. She tried to smile. "Thank you for the workout."

"No problem." He stayed in the middle of the room as she left.

Rachel walked to her room, lost in thought. Just what was she doing? She hadn't come to Atlantis to develop feelings for anyone, especially not the strong pull she felt toward Sheppard. When she'd married for the first time, that intensity faded into something comfortable. With Sheppard, that wasn't the case. At least, she didn't think that would be the case. Her husband had been a surgeon, nice and stable. Sheppard still went through the Stargate and risked his life every day.

"Snap out of it," she told herself as she prepared for a shower. "Just a few days ago, you were crying for Jared. Now you're pining over Sheppard. Get a grip!"

One thing was certain. She needed to put as much distance between herself and Colonel Sheppard as possible. If she didn't. . . . She refused to dwell on what might happen if she didn't.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Daniels watched Ronon leave the sparring room at a near run. He frowned. The big guy wasn't given to running from much. What would have sent him out of there in such a hurry?

Daniels moved quietly and peered around the corner. Sheppard and a woman he'd never seen before were on the mat, clearly having just finished a sparring session. They stared at each other intently, and Daniels grinned. He didn't know this woman, but Sheppard clearly did. And he clearly liked what he saw. Daniels could use this.

He went his way, leaving Sheppard and his lady to figure out that they needed to take things back to their own room. He needed to know who this woman was. If he could find her name, he could get close to her. After all, Lt. Daniel Brady was a nice guy. He'd already made a few friends, and no one knew the truth. If he could find this woman's identity, he could hurt Sheppard in ways that he hadn't considered before now.

Yes, this was a good development. Daniels continued to grin as he stepped into a transporter. It was good to be home!

~TBC

**Author's Note:** If you're wondering, an Ovation Celebrity is one of the best guitars I've ever been privileged to play. It has a more modern shape to the body while still retaining the round back of the lute. And the fret board is rather narrow. For me, I prefer that, hence the reason I play Peavey guitars and won't own another Fender save than the one I have. (Apologies to all you Fender fans.) Also, I don't know if the companies for guitar strings would have lasted this far into the future, but I used what I know. Since I've only played with Ernie Ball or D'Addario strings in recent months, I decided to use those names. No copyright infringement was intended in using these brands or in using the Ovation Celebrity guitar. It made for a good character moment. Hope you enjoyed, and let me know what you think. ~lg


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: **Contains mild spoilers for "Intruder." Also, I apologize it took me this long to update. I was away at a church conference and, even though I had internet access, decided not to post. I wanted my mind as clear as possible for the services. So, here's the next chapter. As always, review and let me know what you think. ~lg

Chapter Eight

A week later, Sheppard received the memo clearing McKay for gate travel. He wanted to find Rachel right away and hug her for that, but he had a mission. Rather, Lorne had a mission and requested his presence. Between the trip off world and Rachel's scarcity in the past week, he didn't have time to hug her. He did, however, plan to find her after this trip and discuss why she'd suddenly disappeared.

McKay nearly ran for the armory when Sheppard told him he'd been cleared for off world missions. Sheppard followed at a slower pace. In the last week, McKay had seen Rachel twice, much to the scientist's dismay. Each time, he came away grumbling about psychologists, but he never openly challenged her again. Sheppard sent several thoughts of thanks to Rachel and secretly wondered how she managed to get McKay to shut up.

At the gate, all thoughts turned toward the mission. Since the entire Nephthys incident, as the Lanteans now called it, Lorne had been appointed as Jeneb's diplomatic liaison. The planet preferred the husband of the woman who freed them from Goa'uld control. Over the years, as the elders died and the society developed, Jeneb's relationship with Atlantis changed. Jeneb still saw Anna and Lorne as heroes, but they no longer traded with the Lanteans for food or medical supplies. Now, the planet, with all of her colonies, allied itself with Atlantis against the Wraith and any other bad guy who decided to poke his ugly head out of the closet.

Lorne waited on the other side of the gate. "Sir."

"Colonel." Sheppard wondered if he'd ever get used to calling the man anything other than "Major." "What's going on?"

"Well, Jeneb's leadership has requested our help."

"Really?" Sheppard tried not to look so surprised. "That would be the first time in, what, eighty years or so?"

Lorne gave him a longsuffering look that reminded him of Anna. "One of their colonies has stopped communicating, and all emissaries they send through the gate come back dead. Immediately. They're asking if we can take one of our ships to the colony and investigate since they don't yet have that capability."

Sheppard looked around, noticing how no one from Jeneb's city accompanied Lorne. "What did you promise them?"

"Only that I would speak with you." Lorne watched him. "Sir, I know we don't tend to get involved with internal politics anymore, but I feel like we have a viable threat here. They lost contact with their colony just after Daniels broke into the Alpha Site. With the Nephthys files missing, I don't know that this is a coincidence."

"It could be coincidence, Lorne." Sheppard nodded. "I'll check it out. Contact you within twelve hours."

"Yes, Sir." Lorne stepped back as McKay dialed the gate. Back on Atlantis, Sheppard quickly briefed Weir and set out for the Jumper bay. This was possibly the easiest mission he'd had to date. While Lorne often encountered trouble off world, Sheppard seemed to be the problem magnet. He rather liked being called in as Lorne's backup.

Grinning at the thought, Sheppard dialed Jeneb's colony and flew the Jumper through the gate. He went to stealth mode as soon as possible. A quick flight revealed the colony, now broken and destroyed. He eyed the ground, seeing signs of fighting and panic. His eyes cut to McKay. "Any life signs?"

"A few." McKay pointed. "That way."

Sheppard turned the Jumper in the direction McKay indicated.

Teyla stood between the two men, her eyes taking in the destruction below. "It looks as if the Wraith culled this planet."

Sheppard's heart sank. "I was hoping you wouldn't say that." He landed the Jumper a few yards away from a cave entrance. "Let's make this quick."

Teyla and Ronon moved to the back of the Jumper while McKay secured his tablet in a pack on his back. Sheppard slapped the control to open the Jumper's hatch and stepped out, aware that he seemed to appear out of nowhere. McKay followed him, whispering, "The life signs are near the entrance of the cave."

Sheppard took lead, casually walking toward the cave in his normal, non-threatening manner. Movement tensed Ronon and brought Teyla to the front of the line. She smiled as a woman in a dirty dress scrambled for the cave's entrance. The four followed her, not wanting to frighten her but also needing answers. Had the Wraith decided to poke their heads from the shadows?

Teyla stepped forward. "There is no reason to be afraid. We are not here to harm you."

The woman stopped in the cave's entrance, and several others joined her. Sheppard blinked. All of them were women or children. Teyla clearly noticed this as well. "Where are all of your men?"

"Gone." Another woman, this one younger than the scout, stepped to the front of the line. "Now, leave."

Sheppard held up a hand. "Hold up. We're not here to hurt you. We just got word that you'd cut off communications with Jeneb, and they asked us to come check on you."

"Well, we're fine." The woman held her chin high in spite of the dirt that covered her face and clothes. "No need to worry about us."

_Right_, Sheppard thought. He heard the fear in her voice as well as the pride. "Look, if there's any way we can help. . . ."

"I said we're fine."

"Okay." He turned to his team. "Teyla?"

She looked at the leader of the group. "May we leave you our gate address and a radio in case you need to reach us? We can offer assistance in many forms, including defense if the Wraith return."

That got a reaction. "Who said anything about the Wraith?"

"Your village appeared to have been culled," Teyla answered, motioning back the way they had flown. "Are you telling me that is not the case?"

"We haven't seen the Wraith in years." The woman glared. "And I've told you that we are well. Now, I will thank you to leave." She turned on her heel and disappeared back into the cave, taking the other women with her. From somewhere inside, a baby cried, and the cry echoed.

Sheppard turned back to the Jumper. "Let's get back to Atlantis and let Lorne know. He'll work with Jeneb to figure out what we need to do."

The flight back through the Stargate went quickly, as did the debrief. Lorne wasn't happy to hear that all the men of the colony had disappeared, and he headed back out to Jeneb to coordinate with the leadership there. Anna accompanied him as a matter of diplomacy.

Once the debrief ended, Sheppard finished his after action report and took a shower. Then, he began wandering the halls of Atlantis. He needed to find Rachel and figure out what had happened between them. Something in his mind told him that he shouldn't be so concerned. She was a psychologist, and Ronon told him that she often spoke of Earth's destruction during their sparring sessions. Since the last session ended so abruptly, Sheppard had refrained from interrupting again even though he wanted to watch her in action. She was a contradiction, all soft and feminine professionally while being spunky and brash in her personal life. For some reason, that contradiction appealed to him.

He didn't have to wander long. Rachel stepped out of a transporter near the mess hall, tablet in hand and attention completely devoted to whatever the tablet said. Sheppard fell into step beside her. "Doc."

She looked up, startled. "Sorry. Didn't see you there, Colonel."

"Heading to dinner?"

"No, actually heading home." She turned down a corridor that ultimately led to the crew corridors.

"By taking the long route?"

"I was working, not paying attention to where I was walking."

"You know, for a psychologist, you sure don't recognize denial in yourself." He watched her eyes spark. "Either that or you're lying to me."

"I'm not lying."

"Then why are you avoiding me?"

Rachel glanced around, seeing only a handful of scientists completely absorbed in their conversation and a lone lieutenant on patrol. "I'm not avoiding you, Colonel. I am a department head, and I also have patients."

"Oh, I think you're avoiding me." Sheppard grinned at the flush that started at her neck. "See? You know you're avoiding me."

"You don't know me well enough to know when I'm avoiding you and when I'm merely busy." She stopped outside her quarters and swiped her hand across the crystals. The door opened, and she stepped inside. "If you'll excuse me. . .Colonel!"

Sheppard stood in the door, one hand on either side of the doors to prevent the city from closing them off from each other and ending the conversation. "Then why haven't I seen you for a week?"

She stood in the middle of the room and brought her chin up, reminding him of the woman back on the planet. Unfortunately, the action didn't have the desired effect. "With all due respect to your position here, you are not the only person who has an unbearable schedule and too many things to do with your day. You likely haven't seen me in a week because, as I have already said, I have been working. Besides, you also have your personal life, just like I have mine."

"No, you haven't been just working. And what does Nadia have to do with this?" He pointed at her face. "See, I saw someone else take that exact stance with me today. She wasn't proud or strong. She was afraid. And I'd like to know why you're afraid of me."

Rachel's eyes widened in surprise before she could school her emotions. Then, she blinked. "Why on Earth would I-I mean, why. . . .Colonel, would you excuse me?"

Sheppard watched the transformation. The fear-or whatever it was-faded, and deep sadness washed her face. He wanted to step into her quarters and hug her for pushing her to the point of crying, but he couldn't. Not only would Nadia hear about it. He couldn't push Rachel if she didn't want to talk. Instead, he dropped his arms from where he held the doors open. "Yeah. Sorry to intrude."

As the doors closed in front of him, Sheppard berated himself. He'd dealt with too many headstrong women today. He rarely allowed himself to be drawn into such an obvious argument. As he walked away, he fought with the desire to throw caution to the wind. His confrontation had walked her into thinking about Earth, and that was something _he_ didn't even want to think about right now. Dodging another soldier in the hallway, he stopped himself from returning to the doc's quarters and taking her in his arms.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Daniels buried a smile as Sheppard walked away from the woman's quarters. He had followed them after hearing her declare that she wasn't avoiding the colonel. Apparently the two had some sort of strained relationship. He could use this.

Who was Nadia? He wondered this as he returned to his normal patrol path. His job on Atlantis could not have been easier. The patrol duty gave him the leeway he needed to follow individuals and observe arguments like the one he'd just seen. Apparently, Sheppard had a woman named Nadia in his life. Wife, perhaps? Oh, wouldn't the Boss just love that! The honorable John Sheppard carrying on an affair with another woman while his wife sat in their quarters, wondering where her dutiful husband had gone.

After his duty shift ended, Daniels sat down at his personal laptop, designed to mimic the appearance and operations of Atlantis's personnel. This one, however, allowed him to hack into the personal computers on Atlantis using a wireless network. The city's systems were a little more complicated, however, and he couldn't break into those without tripping any number of alerts. John Sheppard, however, wasn't the most computer literate individual. He'd once quipped about McKay using the John Sheppard Book of Computer Repair when the Daedalus had a Wraith virus in its systems. Daniels grinned as he worked. He would never try to hack Rodney McKay's computer.

They'd been to the test site. Daniels sobered and read the after mission report Sheppard had emailed to Weir just a few hours ago. This wasn't good. They had not planned for anyone to discover that they'd commandeered a planet for a while yet. Their timetable needed to be changed. Without the cloak of anonymity to help them, they would be discovered if steps weren't taken to avoid that.

After copying the mission report to his own files, Daniels moved on to the personnel files. There was no "Nadia Sheppard" on file, but there was a "Nadia Reynolds" listed in archaeology. He considered this as he stared at her photo. Sheppard usually went for very attractive women, and this archaeologist definitely fit the profile. Her dark hair fell to her shoulders, and she still wore attractive dark-rimmed glasses around startling blue eyes.

Daniels printed a copy of Reynolds's personnel file and tucked it into a drawer. He'd managed to rig his quarters so that he was the only one able to open the door. Confident that it was as secure as possible, he set out for the evening run he'd established as Lt. Brady's routine. No one gave him a second look. At the right place, he ducked into a transporter and made his way to the Jumper he'd left in the underwater bay. The communications in the Jumper had been modified to send short, undetectable data bursts to the Boss's ship still cloaked and hovering at the edge of the solar system. Satisfied that the new intelligence had been received, he jogged back to his quarters and settled in for the night. Tomorrow, he planned to begin the process of destroying Colonel John Sheppard for good.

~TBC


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

_She first met Jared when he arrived at her house for a guitar lesson. He appeared, looking incredibly professional in slacks and a button-down shirt. After stating that he came directly from work, he sat on her couch and walked her through the first lesson. She listened closely, having been inspired by Anna's guitar skills. She wanted to play just as well one day. Of course, her version of "one day" had altered slightly in the last few weeks. Just the knowledge that she'd outlive almost every person on Earth took a lot of stress off her shoulders._

_Jared continued to come to her home once a week. He often spoke of his medical practice and the stresses he faced as a surgeon. He needed music, and he also played in a band when he was available. About two months after they met, he took her to band practice with him. His attitude was sweet, and he often winked at her as he played._

_He proposed four months after they met. She said yes, and they married six months later. Life was good for them. She learned guitar, eventually joining the band for a period of time. She also returned to school, getting her doctorate in psychology during their marriage. With Jared's reputation and income, they set up her practice in the same building as his suite._

_The week before they were to leave to celebrate their anniversary, a trip long overdue, her receptionist interrupted a session with a patient. She wanted to berate the woman for breaking one of her cardinal rules. But the police in the waiting room stopped the words. They looked at her sympathetically, and she knew. She didn't need their soft words to tell her that Jared was dead. He died in an accident while buying her a new wedding set for the vows they planned to renew on their twenty-first anniversary._

Rachel drew in a deep breath, unable to stop the tears that ran down her cheeks. She'd dreamed of that day. When she awoke, she ignored her standing appointment with Ronon and escaped to her office. Work always helped when the memories became too much. The music, the notes, and the framed photo she kept on her desk, however, only pushed her over the edge. She rose and walked out to the balcony, unable to stop the memories from overwhelming her. Ronon had warned her about this very thing.

A hand touched her shoulder, and she turned without looking to see who it was. The warmth of the touch spread through her, and she buried her face in the man's shoulder. The musky aftershave didn't strike her as Ronon's preference, but she didn't care. She needed someone to hold her right now, and the arms around her shoulders gave her the sense of safety that she needed.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Sheppard awkwardly wrapped his arms around Rachel as she dissolved into tears on his shoulder. He looked around, not really expecting to see anyone. It was early, and he had not planned on coming here. But Ronon had just radioed him, saying that Rachel had skipped her morning sparring session. That wasn't like the responsible psychologist. Sheppard merely acknowledged Ronon and came to the office. The loud rock music escaped through the closed door and told him that something was wrong. When he came inside, he didn't see Rachel for a few moments. Then, he spotted her on the balcony.

At first, Sheppard merely intended to let her know that he was there. But she seemed lost in thought as tears slipped down her face. Watching her cry stirred something in him that he thought long dead. Even Nadia's tears didn't affect him like watching Rachel cry. Maybe it was because he'd never seen this vulnerable, hurting side of her. It didn't matter. When she folded into his arms, he decided that he wanted to be right here. He settled his arms around her and waited while she cried.

Sheppard truly understood her emotions. He had wanted to cry like this when he first saw Earth. Had someone touched his arm in that moment, he would have fallen apart on the bridge of the Daedalus.

Rachel finally calmed and laid her head on his shoulder for a moment. He felt her stiffen and let his hands travel to her shoulders when she stepped back. "Better?"

She flushed. "Yeah." Her hands fluttered nervously as she pointed to the saturated shoulder of his uniform. "Sorry about that."

"It'll wash." Sheppard dropped his hands as she moved back to the railing of the balcony. He suddenly missed her nearness and frowned. Something had shifted in the last few minutes. He pointed back toward the open door. "Hey, I wasn't trying to intrude, but the music. . . ."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Rachel rushed inside and turned off the loud rock music. The sudden absence of sound was nearly as deafening as the loud music. "I sometimes don't notice it."

"Yeah." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Ronon warned me about the memories. I just didn't listen as closely as I should have." She stood in the door of the balcony, appearing hesitant to get close to him. "I don't normally break down so spectacularly."

Sheppard grinned and pushed past her to enter the office, secretly enjoying the way her face flushed at his nearness. "Hey, we all need that sometimes."

"I know. And remembering the day my husband died is not exactly the first memory I wanted to experience."

Sheppard stopped. Did she just say. . .? "Husband?"

Rachel nodded. "We were married for almost twenty-one years. After he died, I sort of drifted away from everyone who knew us. It was another ten years before I started my own practice under a new name. By then, I had joined a band and recorded a couple albums. But, Jared was the one who taught me to play guitar. He got me hooked on music."

Sheppard looked around. "You know, you're not the only one to go through that."

She studied him. "Divorce is different, Colonel. Yes, it's a loss. But it's not quite the same as kissing your spouse goodbye that morning and not realizing that it's the last time you'll ever do that."

"No, I don't suppose it is." He stared at her, not surprised that she'd read his record. "Doesn't make it easy, though."

"I never said it did," she said quietly. Her eyes seemed to dare him, but he couldn't figure out the object of that dare. He couldn't think about much with her around. Her nearness a few minutes ago caused his brain to short-circuit, creating an interesting lull in the conversation as he tried to flip the fuses to get his brain working again.

"Well, I'll let you get to work."

"Trying to get rid of me?" Her smile appeared, and the tears seemed to have been pushed to the back burner for the moment. "Only a day after accusing me of avoiding you?"

Sheppard couldn't answer. He had accused her of avoiding him, but he now wanted to avoid her. He needed time to think, to reason out why he suddenly wanted to keep her at his side no matter what anyone said. This electricity that sparked between them surprised him and made him think of Nadia. While they had an intimate relationship, he'd never felt this unavoidable attraction to her like he felt toward Rachel. Rather than answering, he gave Rachel an awkward half-grin and left her alone.

As he changed his uniform jacket in his quarters, Sheppard glared at the floor. He'd known that he needed to do something about Nadia, but he couldn't break her heart. Of course, there wasn't much between them besides physical intimacy, but that didn't matter. Now that his relationship with Rachel had turned toward something he wasn't sure he wanted to stop, he needed to talk to Nadia and explain that their time together had come to an end. After all the worry he'd put her through in the last year of off world missions, he owed her an honest explanation.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

As soon as Sheppard left her office, Rachel cancelled her appointments for the day, citing personal reasons. She didn't want to try to listen to others cry when she felt like falling apart at a moment's notice. Instead, she left her office and walked directly to a set of quarters she never dreamed she'd visit.

Lorne answered her entry request with a surprised look on his face. "Doc. Everything okay?"

"I was wondering if Anna's available." Rachel decided to let him see a bit of the turmoil under the surface of her calm face. "I just needed. . . ."

Lorne gave her a sympathetic smile. "Come in. I'll let her know you're here."

Rachel stood in the living room of their joint quarters, enjoying the way the morning sun turned gold and red through the stained glass of the high windows. Lorne disappeared into another room, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She no longer felt anything for him, and that surprised her. Perhaps his wife had a lot to do with that.

Various paintings lined the walls, and Rachel moved to study the sunset over the piano. It was breathtaking in its portrayal of the contrast between night and day. Her eyes dropped to the signature, and she grinned. Lorne was quite the artist.

Anna's voice came from behind her. "That's my favorite out of all his work."

Rachel whirled and tried to settle her heart into a normal rhythm. "I'm sorry to interrupt your morning."

"Don't be." Anna motioned for her to follow and stepped out the stained glass doors onto another balcony. While Rachel's office faced the west, Anna's balcony faced east. The sunrise was over, but the warmth that drenched the balcony seemed to renew both women. "Evan said you wanted to talk."

Rachel smiled sadly. "I'm just a little confused. A little emotional. And I don't think Ronon is going to handle the emotions well."

Anna laughed at that. "No, I don't think he will." She sobered a moment later. "What's on your mind?"

"Well, you know how I had a thing for your husband back in the day." Rachel shrugged awkwardly, not really believing that she'd found a confidante in the woman she once hated. "When I came back to Atlantis, I told myself I wouldn't do that again. After all, I had been married for over two decades, and I dated another guy for nearly ten years. Both those relationships were enough, I thought. Then, I met someone here. Well, not so much met as became reacquainted with someone here."

Anna joined her at the railing. "And you're scared?"

"A little." Rachel buried her face in her hands for a moment. "I mean, I've never felt anything like I feel for this guy. When I met my husband, I was attracted to him, but I never felt this. . .electric, inescapable pull toward him. It's like this other guy is my match in every way. We've argued, flirted, talked, all the things that you're supposed to do within the short time that we've known each other. I know he feels it, too. He accused me of avoiding him, yesterday. Today, he came to my office and found me crying. Before I could stop myself, I was crying on his shoulder and thinking that I belonged right there. In his arms! That's not like me. I mean, I'm not the type to just fall in love with someone because of chemistry or electricity or whatever you want to call it.

"But this is so far beyond my experience that I don't know what to do about it." Once she allowed the words to escape, she couldn't seem to stop. "When Jared and I dated and then married, we had a sweet, gentle relationship. Very vanilla, if you know what I mean. This is anything but vanilla, and we're not even dating. I mean, this is. . .triple chocolate brownie with a topping of dark chocolate hot fudge intense."

Anna laughed again. "Craving ice cream?"

"A little." Rachel grinned at her. "You get the idea."

"I know what you mean. It's as if you don't have to say anything to him. He just understands you."

"Exactly!" Rachel paused. "Wait. That's the voice of experience." When Anna smiled, she groaned. "Not exactly what I wanted to know about your relationship with Colonel Lorne."

"Sorry." Anna eyed her. "Does he know this?"

"He's dating someone else."

"Ouch."

"Yeah." Rachel drew in a deep breath. "Now you get the picture. I don't want to ruin his relationship with the other woman, but I can't ignore this. And he's proven to me that I can't avoid him even if I wanted to. I'm just not sure what to do about it."

"Give yourself time." Anna's voice took on the tone of a mentor. "Rachel, you're in new waters here on Atlantis. Not only are you back from Earth, but you're the head of psychology. And this guy, whoever he is, needs to understand that there's a lot of responsibility on your plate right now. If he's dating someone else and still pushing you, you need to put a stop to it until such time as he resolves his issues."

"I know." Rachel sighed. "See, this is what I would tell someone in my office. I think I just needed someone to tell me."

"Happy to be of service." Anna turned her attention to the horizon, but Rachel excused herself. She'd intruded on Anna's day enough, and she wanted some time. Just putting her relationship with Sheppard into words had helped her see things a clearly. For the moment, she wanted privacy to consider her next step.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Daniels entered the mess hall, eyes peeled for the archaeologist. She sat by herself in a corner, not looking at anyone. He thought she appeared lonely and invited himself to join her. Besides, her table gave him a nice view of the door.

He'd seen something that morning that gave him a large advantage. He had decided that it was time Brady saw the psychologist for his grief issues over losing his wife and son in Earth's destruction. Of course, that was just a cover story to get close to the chief psychologist on Atlantis. Who else would have up-to-date information on the leadership of this base? When he walked into her office that morning, he'd been bombarded by loud rock music. Rather than making his presence known, he watched as Sheppard held her on the balcony. She'd been crying, but the scene was so intimate. So sweet. Sheppard never noticed him, and he'd liked it that way. The chemistry crackled between them, giving Daniels even more dirt on the unidentified woman he'd seen Sheppard sparring with days ago. Apparently, this particular psychologist had a spunky side.

"Mind if I join you?" His friendly question brought the archaeologist's head up. She straightened and motioned to the chair. He sat down with a grin. "Thanks. Daniel Brady."

"Nadia Reynolds." She shook his hand, her intense eyes studying every aspect of his appearance. "You're new around here."

"Yeah, got in on the Daedalus just before. . . ."

"I know what you mean." She shook her head. "I mean, I can't believe Earth is gone."

While her voice held a bit of sadness, Daniels didn't buy her act. She wasn't as broken up about Earth's destruction as she liked others to think. Before he could say anything about it, he spotted the psychologist entering the mess hall. His opportunity presented itself. "Hey, isn't that the head of psychology?"

Nadia turned. "Yeah. Dr. Harrison. From what I hear, she's a little on the unconventional side."

"Yeah, I've heard that, too." He took a few bites of food before dropping the bomb into the conversation. "I've heard that she's seeing Colonel Sheppard."

"What!" Nadia's voice rose and drew the attention of several people around them. She glanced around and then leaned toward him. "Colonel Sheppard is _not_ seeing that. . . . He's with _me_!"

Daniels blinked at her refusal to speak badly of the city's leadership. That was a trait he'd not expected. "Hey, I'm new. Sorry I didn't know you and the colonel were an item. I just know people who've seen those two together. From what I hear, it's pretty intense when they're in the same room."

The anger in Nadia's eyes reached a boiling point. "I'm sorry to be rude. But, if you'll excuse me, I have someone-Hey! Let me go!"

"No." Daniels kept his voice low. "Just listen. You don't want to confront her right now."

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't. You want to wait and get irrefutable proof. Then, after you have it, you can ruin both Dr. Harrison and Sheppard, if you so choose."

His words found their mark. She slowly settled back into her chair. "What do you have in mind?"

Daniels buried the triumphant grin. He'd just recruited his first victim. Before she knew it, Nadia would feed him all the information he needed to ruin Sheppard and take over the city.

~TBC


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Rachel glanced up as her office door opened. She smiled at the man there, studying his hesitant manner and shy face. Hair dye streaked his dark hair with blond, and sculpted spikes stood out in every direction. His brown eyes could only be described as "puppy dog eyes." Rachel took his appearance in stride. Over the years, the hairstyles coming from Earth had shifted to spikes and streaks. As long as they didn't violate military regulations, Sheppard hadn't complained. This Daniel Brady was no exception to that rule.

"Lieutenant, come in." She smiled and motioned him to a chair looking out onto the balcony. "I have to admit I was surprised you changed your appointment with Dr. Saunders to me."

Brady shrugged. "Saunders has been on Atlantis for years. You haven't."

Rachel lifted her chin in understanding. The man wanted to talk to someone with the same experience of coming to Atlantis just before Earth's destruction. "I see. Well, I'm glad you've come, and I'm here to listen as needed."

"I know." He dropped into the chair and braced his elbows on his knees. "I'm still a little shocked at how it all went down. I mean, I was there. I knew about the threat of nuclear war, but I couldn't help. My orders brought me here. I left my wife and son on Earth with the promise that I'd be home in a year." He shook his head. "Now, I'll never see them again."

Rachel studied him, unable to quell the suspicion rising in her. Brady's words sounded sincere, but he acted completely separated from the emotions losing his family should have caused. She decided to probe a little deeper. "How old was your son?"

"One." He smiled. "Walking, jabbering, getting into everything. I know my wife wasn't thrilled that I was leaving, but I couldn't avoid it. Orders are orders, you know?"

"I understand." She crossed her legs at her ankles, deciding to let his mention of his family lead the conversation. "Do you have a picture?"

Brady blinked and stared at her for a moment, as if he didn't know what to say. He recovered quickly, but Rachel saw the flash of apprehension that touched his eyes. "Yeah. In my quarters." The answer sounded defensive.

She smiled, trying to undo whatever offence she'd caused. "I'd love to see it sometime."

He nodded, not looking at her. Then, he shook his head. "I just don't quite know what to do right now. I mean, Earth wasn't supposed to die. We weren't supposed to be stuck out here. And, from what I hear, Dr. Weir hasn't sent anyone to the Alpha site in the Milky Way like she promised."

Rachel frowned. "That's news to me, Lieutenant."

He shrugged. "Well, you know how rumors are. Sometimes they're not always accurate."

He was clearly angry. Rachel sensed it in everything he said. Rather than dwelling on his anger, she smiled. "Can you tell me about your wife?"

He glanced at her, the flash of apprehension crossing his face again. "I'd rather not." Before she could speak, he held up a hand. "It's not that I don't want to, it's that I don't know if I can tell you about her. I mean, she's only been gone for a few weeks. I'm still not sure what to think about that."

"It's called shock and denial, Lieutenant." She smiled. "We've all experienced it. We're all experiencing it now. Anyone who has ever lost someone knows the denial that comes. What I'm concerned about is this anger you seem to keep inside of you."

"What do you expect me to do with it?"

"Find a punching bag. Spar with someone. Run it off." She shrugged. "There are always outlets we can find. My concern is for your mental health and stability. I'm not going to lie and tell you that I'm not worried about you right now. You seem to have buried this so deeply that, even while talking about this loss, you're totally removed. Distant."

He chuckled though there was no humor in his face. "You're not what I expected. You don't pull any punches."

"Never have." She gave him a rueful grin. "Over the years, I saw too many people soothed and babied into a false state of happiness. I'm not the psychologist that'll write you a prescription for antidepressants without first determining that there is a legitimate chemical imbalance. If you continue to come to me, you'll get pretty much the same treatment that I'd expect someone to give to me. I don't want to be soothed and babied. I want to deal with my issues. And I assume you want to deal with yours."

He nodded again. "You assume correctly."

"Good." She glanced down at the tablet in her hand although she'd taken very few notes. "If you still want to talk, I'm free for a while. If not, I suggest you find an outlet for the anger you're denying. And that you find time to think about what you really want out of these appointments. I don't expect you to be totally emotional, but I do expect you to _feel_ what you're saying. There's a difference."

"I understand." He stood. "Thank you, Doctor."

"You're welcome." She shook his hand. "If you'd like, I can set you up with an appointment in three days."

"Sounds good." Brady took his leave then, and Rachel stared after him. She couldn't name the feeling that crept into her mind, but it wasn't good. Brady seemed dispassionate rather than in denial, almost like he'd read a script. She knew that some men reverted to such techniques when faced with severe trauma, but they always showed their emotions in their eyes. Brady's eyes had been flat except for the two flashes of apprehension she'd seen.

And his comment about Weir sending ships to the Milky Way came out of nowhere. During her last appointment with Elizabeth, she had counseled the woman to send the Daedalus to the Milky Way Alpha Site. But, the break-in at their own Alpha Site, combined with the mystery of the missing colony had sidetracked their efforts. Perhaps no one truly wanted to face what had happened on Earth. It had been a few days since she spoke with either Sheppard or Weir concerning the operations of Atlantis. After this troubling meeting with Brady, Rachel decided she needed to remedy that as quickly as possible.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Sheppard rubbed his neck as he walked toward his quarters. He was tired, dirty, and angry. The trip through the Stargate ended with less-than-desirable results, and he spent the afternoon in a meeting rather than taking the shower he wanted. At Jeneb's request, he led his team back to the colony, this time accompanied by Lorne. They hoped to find the men at home this time and learn why the village had been destroyed. Instead, they found nothing. The rubble of the village remained, but not a single life sign appeared on the planet. The caves where Sheppard and his team found the women and children were abandoned without any clue as to where the people had gone. McKay recovered around fifty gate addresses from the DHD, but that would take a while to search all those worlds.

In the meantime, Jeneb's government went into an uproar. Anna and Lorne tried to smooth ruffled feathers, but current politicians held less respect for them than in previous years. While they knew Anna as the one to free them from Nephthys, that history was about a hundred years old. It gave the Lornes a measure of respect, but their influence over Jeneb's ruling council had waned. The council told Lorne in no uncertain terms that, since the Lanteans' visit to the colony preceded the disappearance of the people, the Lanteans needed to find them. Sheppard returned to Atlantis to sit in a briefing room with Lorne and Weir while they hashed out their plan of action.

The idea of a quiet evening to himself appealed more than he thought it would. After being around people who either yelled, cajoled, or grumbled for most of the day, he just wanted to sit in is quarters, drink a beer, and watch a movie. Maybe. Right now, he might just collapse into bed after taking a long, hot shower.

The door to his quarter slid open, and Sheppard stepped inside. He dropped his uniform jacket over the arm of the chair next to the door and turned to sit down. Then, he froze. Nadia lay on his bed, not wearing much of anything. She moved seductively, and Sheppard frowned. "How long have you been here?"

She shrugged. "Not long." Looking around, she smiled. "I thought a change of scenery would be nice."

"Yeah." He wasn't totally convinced. In all the time that they'd been together, he'd never invited her to his quarters. Rather than staring at her, like she wanted, he dropped into the chair and began to unlace his boots. "Listen, it's been a long day, and I'm not sure what kind of company I'll be tonight."

She slid her long legs off the bed and sauntered over to him, a small pout on her face. "Come on, Colonel." Her hands landed gently on his shoulders and began massaging the tense muscles there. She leaned down, pressing herself into him as she whispered in his ear, "I'm here to listen."

Sheppard froze as she massaged his neck, growing more tense as the seconds passed. "What do you want, Nadia?"

Her hands paused for a moment. "Why would I want anything?" Her tone sounded forcefully lightened, almost like she tried not to whine. "I haven't seen you at all today, and yesterday you barely said hello. I thought we could spend the evening together, maybe, you know. . . ." She leaned back over him and kissed the back of his neck.

Sheppard jumped to his feet, startling both of them. He had never reacted this way to Nadia, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. "Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" She folded her arms and stared at him. "I mean, other than the fact that you haven't been around for the last few days. I miss you, John. And I thought we could spend some time together."

"Yeah, okay." He held up a hand when she moved around the chair to get close to him. "Just. . .stay over there."

That had an effect. She furrowed her brow and pursed her lips into a pout. "John?"

Even the tone of her voice irritated him. He covered his face with his hands and walked toward the window. What was he doing? He'd been with this woman for nearly a year, and he suddenly couldn't stand the sight of her. Rachel's face crept into his mind, and he took a deep breath to calm his nerves. Did he really want to drop Nadia like this? While his feelings had obviously changed, he still cared enough about her as a person to want to keep from hurting her.

Finally, he turned from the window. "Look, like I said earlier, I'm not in the best of moods. This day has turned into a nightmare, and I just want some time. Alone. In the quiet."

"Is that so?" The simpering disappeared, replaced by anger. "I knew this was a bad idea, but I thought that you'd enjoy it. I guess I was wrong!" Her bare feet slapped on the floor as she stomped over to the bed. She snatched up the robe and threw it around her shoulders.

"Nadia, wait."

"No." She opened the door before she'd finished tying the robe around her, giving everyone in the corridor an eyeful. The two soldiers that saw grinned and hurried away, but the damage was done. Nadia turned to face him in the open doorway. "I guess I'm not what you want tonight. Maybe, in a few days, you'll realize you were wrong!"

The door closed behind her, and Sheppard let out a relieved sigh. The scene she'd created would need to be handled tomorrow, but he wasn't going to face that now. For the moment, he planned to enjoy his shower and some sleep.

An hour later, he stared at the ceiling, still not at ease with what had happened. Nadia had sounded more angry than she should have been. They had experienced difficult days together. It was part of living on Atlantis. But, this time, something else crept into the argument. Or, rather, someone else. Sheppard knew Rachel had not deliberately put him in this situation. _He _hadn't put himself in this situation. Since that first meeting with Rachel, the chemistry between them had been undeniable. He needed to do something about that. Deciding that he'd handle it as soon as he was able, he rolled over and forced himself to sleep. Sometimes, being a soldier had its advantages.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Daniels froze as an entry request sounded at his quarters. Who would be coming here at this time? He quickly saved the data on his laptop and slid it into a drawer before answering the summons. Nadia blinked at him, dressed in a silvery robe that barely touched her knees. He stared.

"Sorry to interrupt." She glanced over her shoulder. "Can I come in?"

"Sure." Daniels stepped back, already gauging her state of mind. "What's wrong?"

"Sheppard." The venom in that statement didn't surprise him.

He motioned to her attire. "I take it the night didn't end like you wanted it to end?"

"No." She glared at him. "I thought I could take his mind off of _her_, but I was wrong. He wouldn't even let me touch him. Then, when I tried to talk to him, he just told me he had a long day. I'm not even sure what he did today because he wouldn't talk to me at all."

Daniels stayed in his position next to the door, knowing that she'd come to him if he played his cards right. "Are you sure you're okay?"

The concern for her wellbeing worked like a charm. She sauntered toward him, the glint in her eye changing from anger to desire. This woman liked to know the power she had over men. "Not entirely." She ran her finger down his chest. "I could use some cheering up."

Daniels barely kept himself from shaking his head. Relationships weren't part of his job description, but this could work toward his advantage. Rather than immediately taking her up on her offer, he stopped her hand from moving lower than it already had. "You're sure you want to do this after what Sheppard did to you?"

"Hey, if he can mess around on me, why can't I do the same to him?"

He grinned. "Touché." Then, he kissed her. She responded immediately. Later that evening, as she slept on his shoulder, Daniels stared at the ceiling with a satisfied smirk. His seduction was complete, and his direct path to Sheppard had been laid before him. Or, rather, beside him. If Nadia wanted to pursue this relationship, he'd use her to get the information he'd need. Through her, he would bring Sheppard to the ground.

~TBC


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Sheppard paused in the corridor and frowned. Loud music came from one of the rooms, music that reminded him of Rachel. In fact, he'd bet she played part of it. The bass sounded a little louder than normal, and he half-grinned at the bass line that continually walked up and down the scale. Then, the tone changed for a little funky rock and eventually returned to the up-and-down tune.

On impulse, he requested entry and waited while the bass music ended. The music lowered, and Rachel answered the door holding an electric guitar. "Colonel."

"Doc." He motioned to the guitar she held. "I thought you were playing the bass, but that looks like a regular guitar."

She grinned. "It _is_ a bass." She stepped back. "Come in."

He blinked at her sudden change of heart. "Don't mind if I do." As the doors closed behind him, he glanced out into the hallway. The incident with Nadia last night made him apprehensive of who might see him here. He frowned. Why should he be worried about who saw him talking to Atlantis's chief psychologist? After all, she required all staff members to undergo counseling sessions. Rather than dwelling on that, he pointed to the guitar. "So, it's a bass? I thought bass guitars were bigger. Longer."

"Most are." She offered the guitar, and he carefully took it. "That is a Fender Mustang bass. It sounds just as good as any regular bass, but it's the size of an electric guitar."

"I can see that." He looked over the guitar, liking the creamy body and metallic brown pick guard. Not really comfortable with holding it, he handed it back. "You're good."

"Thank you." She smiled, seeming rather relaxed in his presence. "I haven't played these particular songs in a while."

"Couldn't tell it."

She carefully settled the guitar on the stand next to the window. "It's the band I was part of." Her face sobered, but she continued speaking. "When I came home tonight, I just wanted something lively, not mundane."

Sheppard pointed at the stereo system. "They're-_you're_ good."

"We were." She picked up a CD cover and handed it over. "I played with them for about five years. Then, we drifted apart. Well, not so much 'drifted' as 'fell' apart. Some of them got into drugs and alcohol."

"When was this?" He studied the picture on the CD cover as she motioned him toward the couch. He settled on one end, holding up the picture. "You look good here."

She flushed slightly. "Thank you-I think."

He suddenly realized what he'd said. "I mean, you look great now. But, in this picture, you also look wonderful."

Rachel laughed. "I know what you meant, Colonel. I just couldn't resist teasing." She sat down on the other end of the couch. "That was about twenty years ago. CDs had been phased out by then, but I had a few made for nostalgia's sake. I mean, in our time, CDs were all the rage."

"I remember." He set the CD cover aside, sensing that she had more to say.

"It helped me recover. My husband had died about five years before that, and I'd been in something of a depression." She shrugged. "So, how was your day, Colonel?"

"John, please." He shrugged. "Okay. I guess."

"You guess?"

"Hey, don't try to psychoanalyze me."

"Sorry. Habit." She grinned. "You didn't stop to talk about your feelings."

Sheppard shuddered. "I'm not very good with feelings."

"I don't know very many men who are."

"Touché."

"So," she began again, "how was your day?"

He stared at her, seeing the honest attempt to turn off her inner psychologist, and decided to be honest himself. "Not so good."

"Do you want to share or not?"

"Ah, well, you know, it's just been. . . . Oh, forget it." He stared at her. "It's Nadia. I'm just not sure I want things to continue, but I don't know what to do."

"Do about what?"

He eyed her and saw that she waited patiently for him to continue. Her face told him she would accept his decision, no matter if he chose not to discuss his relationship with the archaeologist. He motioned toward her. "I'm not sure I want things to continue. I mean, it was never supposed to go on this long, and I just don't think that I'm really that good for her."

"I see."

"You're a woman. What would you tell me to do?"

Rachel blinked, clearly surprised at his request. "Colonel-John, I'm not sure I'm the right person to give you advice on your relationship with Nadia."

"That's just it. It's not a relationship." He looked around. "It's-it's fun. It's crazy. It's driving me absolutely insane with all of the dependency and whining!" He stopped, not intending for that last bit to slip out.

"I see," she said again. "So, you're wanting to know how to break things off with her?"

"Yeah, I guess I am."

She looked as surprised as he felt. When had he decided to tell her something so personal? To her credit, she pulled herself together. "Well, I would advise you to be honest with her. No woman likes to feel like you're forcing yourself to endure her presence. Don't be harsh, but let her know that things have changed. It might not go well at first, but you'll recover. And so will she."

Sheppard stared. "That was a very concise answer. Very precise."

She smiled ruefully. "After having ended a ten-year relationship due to infidelity, I wish he'd had the guts to face me like a man rather than sneaking around behind my back, messing around with other women."

"I see," Sheppard mimicked her.

"I deserved that." She shook her head. "Anything else you'd like to discuss? Confidentially and between friends, of course."

"Of course." He studied her, already knowing she took her duty to Atlantis seriously. "There is something. . .political."

"Jeneb?" At his questioning look, she smiled. "I get reports."

"Yeah, I forgot about that." He thought for a moment. "I'm not the most political person in the world, and I want to punch some alien politicians in the nose."

"That's very politically incorrect."

"That's me." He smiled at her before sobering. "They want us to solve their problem again. I mean, we solved the Nephthys problem a hundred years ago, and they want us to do that again. This time, though, it's not our problem. Lorne and Elizabeth have tried to tell them this. They took on the responsibility when they decided to colonize other worlds. But, now, they're demanding that we do something instead of getting off their lazy behinds and handling issues themselves!"

"Feel better?" she asked with a smile.

"Yeah." He stared at her. "Thanks."

"No problem." Rachel smiled. "I can't tell you what to do, but I can tell you that you'll make the right decision. You always have."

"You say that like you know me or something."

"In a way, I do know you." She shrugged. "You forget. I served here on Atlantis during the entire Nephthys incident. I've been associated with the Stargate Program ever since then-even when I wasn't actively working with the SGC. No one remembers me, but I remember everyone that was here then."

He stared at her. "I remember you. Vaguely. Weren't you a. . . .uh. . .?"

"My point." She smiled again, this time with the reserve he'd come to expect from her psychologist side. "I was a geneticist, and I assisted Anna Lorne in developing the retrovirus and ATA therapy that made the changes to our DNA."

"I thought you looked familiar."

"I mentioned it at a recent briefing, but I guess it wasn't important enough to be remembered at the time." She waved off his concern. "Don't worry about me. I understand. That many years, and someone who was not in leadership or didn't die in a spectacular way fades from mind."

"Well," Sheppard said as he slapped his knees, "I should let you get back to your evening." He stood. "It's been helpful, though."

"I'm glad you think so." She stood with him and walked him to the door. "Thank you for stopping by, John."

Sheppard stared at her, surprised at the way her nearness affected him. She smiled, clearly not realizing the pull she held. His eyes dropped to her lips again, and he decided to ignore the mental reminder of Nadia. That woman was nearly out of his life, and then he'd be free to pursue this chemistry with _this_ woman. As if inescapably pulled toward her, he leaned in to kiss her.

Rachel's pinky against his lips stopped him. She smiled, her breath tickling his cheek as she whispered in his ear. "Take care of Nadia, first. She's your priority." She dropped the hand she'd put between their lips and stepped back, her face flushed.

Sheppard nodded. "You're right." He gave her a smile and escaped into the empty corridor. Finally, no one was around to observe their behavior. He headed for his office, plans already circling in his head.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

"McKay to Sheppard." The call through Sheppard's radio lifted the hairs on the back of his neck.

"What?" he snapped. Across the table, Nadia frowned, and he tapped the earpiece he wore at all times.

"I need you in the control room."

"Now?"

"Yes, now. Why else would I call you?"

Sheppard shook his head. "I'll be there in a few minutes. Sheppard out." He disconnected the com link and stared at Nadia. "I'm sorry."

"Duty calls." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "We'll pick this up later."

"Yeah." Sheppard tossed his linen napkin on the table and left the candlelit balcony. He had taken Rachel's advice and planned an exquisite date with Nadia. She'd appeared dressed in a provocative dress with a neckline that cut low enough to draw any living man's attention. The back cut lower. In spite of the obvious attempt to seduce him, he'd been unable to look at her for very long. His intention to gently let her down ended when McKay paged him.

In the control room, Sheppard glared. "This better be good."

"It's not." Rodney turned from his computer. "We just got word from Jeneb. There's been another attack."

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Daniels rounded the corner near his quarters and froze. Nadia stood just outside his door, dressed in a low-cut, skin-tight dress and holding a bottle of wine. Since two nights ago, she'd given him seductive glances and secret smiles. Suddenly, he understood why Sheppard had pulled away from her. She was too clingy. Instead of complaining, however, he allowed himself to admire her appearance. "Looking good."

She dimpled. "I thought you'd like it." She held up the wine. "I swiped it from you-know-who."

Daniels's eyebrows rose as he entered his room. "Really?"

"Yeah." She smiled at him. "We were in the middle of a wonderful candlelit dinner when he got paged to the control room. I followed him. McKay said something about an attack on Jeneb. Anyway, I figure he'll be gone all night, and we can enjoy his wine."

Rather than complaining, he stepped close to her. "I think that would be a wonderful idea." After admiring her body up close, he shrugged ruefully. "Just let me shower, first."

"Of course."

Late that night, as Nadia slept soundly on his bed, Daniels slipped from his quarters. The Boss needed to know that her plan to cover up the events of the test site had been unsuccessful. She waited for his report on her ship, surprising him in her insistence in knowing what the Lanteans were doing. After listening to him, she calmly told him to relax. She had a plan for that. A moment later, his laptop began receiving an encrypted data burst, and Daniels grinned. This was going to be too easy.

~TBC


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Rachel sat behind her desk and watched Lt. Brady leave her office. The last three days had done wonders for him. He appeared with a smile that touched his eyes, and his demeanor portrayed a man very happy with his situation. He even produced pictures of his wife and son, saying that he'd given her words about denial a lot of thought. When she asked about finding an outlet for his anger, he gave her a very gleeful "Oh, yeah!" The sudden swing in emotions concerned her, and she considered the ramifications.

After making a few notes in Brady's record, Rachel gathered her tablet and left her office. She walked with purpose, the different reasons for Brady's euphoria roaming through her head. Earth had many ways of inducing such a euphoria, and Dr. Beckett had discovered a few creative attempts to bring the drugs to Atlantis. In the infirmary, she glanced around, eventually finding Beckett in his office. Keller waved from her place next to a soldier receiving stitches for some kind of injury.

"Dr. Harrison." Beckett's Scottish brogue made everything he said sound exotic. "What can I do for you?"

"I need some information, physician to physician." She closed the door behind her. "I have some concerns that might involve you."

"Okay, lass, let's see what you've got."

"Lt. Daniel Brady." She handed her tablet to Beckett, allowing him to scan the personnel file as she spoke. "He came to me three days ago, wanting to talk to someone about Earth's destruction and his family's part in all of it. I noticed a sort of disconnection from the events, which would have been understandable had he still been experiencing denial of the tragedy. But, when I asked about his family, he became almost defensive and very apprehensive, not sad or angry like I expected. Today, during my follow-up appointment, his emotional state had completely changed. He was cheerful, almost unnaturally so."

"And you suspect amphetamine use or another such stimulant?"

"Unfortunately." Rachel watched the impact of that statement cover Beckett's face. "Look, Doctor, I hate to be the bearer of bad news. But, in our situation with the recent trauma of Earth's destruction, we may see a rise in drug abuse, especially prescription medications, as people try to numb the emotions that are beginning to hit them."

Beckett nodded and went back to Brady's file. Rachel let him work, knowing that he'd find anything suspicious in the lieutenant's medical records. She wished she had not needed to bring this to his attention. If anything appeared, however, protocol forced her to take it to Sheppard. Rachel shook her head. Sheppard clearly did not need this on his plate right now.

"Oh, what's this?" Beckett asked.

Rachel sat up. "Doctor?"

"I'm showing that Lt. Brady passed his mandatory physical when he left Earth and again when he arrived on the Daedalus." He frowned. "Then, just after his arrival, he went off world and never reported in for his post-mission physical. In fact, we haven't seen him down here since his arrival on Atlantis. And I don't remember this face."

Rachel's heart sank. "So, he could be in some serious trouble, and we wouldn't know about it?"

"Aye." Beckett shrugged. "Or he could merely be posing as Lt. Brady. I don't recognize him, and I'm fairly good with faces. Especially faces this young. Still, there's something about these eyes. . . . They're too old for this face."

"I noticed that as well."

He looked at her sympathetically. "Colonel Sheppard needs to know about this."

"I know." Rachel refused to explain her hesitance to speak with the Colonel. Ever since his visit to her quarters the other night, she experienced a draw to him unlike anything she'd felt in their previous encounters. His near-kiss told her much of what she needed to know about his feelings for her. "Thank you, Dr. Beckett."

"You're welcome, lass." He handed her tablet back to her. "I'll continue to investigate from this end, looking for other personnel who have skipped their physicals as well."

Rachel nodded and left the office, her mind in a whirl. Had she managed to uncover a drug ring on Atlantis? With recent events, the Atlantis leadership did not need this added to their plates. They already had enough trouble with the break-in at the Alpha Site and Jeneb's government demanding their involvement. Not really looking forward to this next conversation, Rachel turned toward the control room and Weir's office.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Sheppard stepped through the gate tired, hungry, and ready to murder someone. He and his team had spent the night pinned down inside a colonist's stone house, shooting at people whose identity they didn't know. And no one would tell them anything.

Elizabeth met them halfway down the stairs, Rachel immediately behind her. Both women looked subdued, as if something had happened while the team was off world. Sheppard frowned. "Doctor. Elizabeth?"

"We'll debrief as soon as you've had a chance to clean up." Elizabeth stared at him, not backing down at his irritated frown. "It'll keep, John.

With no choice but to follow protocol, Sheppard headed for the infirmary. He had a few cuts that needed attention, but Ronon had taken the brunt of the punishment. The man had endured a gunshot wound to the shoulder and kept fighting. They used all of their available pressure bandages, plus some rather dirty rags, to keep him from bleeding out during the night. By the time they retook the Jumper, he simply passed out. Sheppard had tried to fly the Jumper to the gate, but a well-aimed shot ended their flight just shy of the event horizon. They had limped through, carrying Ronon on their shoulders.

Elizabeth's attitude concerned him. Sheppard frowned as he headed for the briefing room. Whenever a team returned with an injured colleague, she normally asked what happened right then. This time, she opted to wait. Whatever had concerned both Rachel and Elizabeth, it had to be pretty bad for them to ignore Ronon's injury.

In the briefing room, Elizabeth looked directly at him. "What happened out there?"

"We came through the gate and flew over the colony in the Jumper." Sheppard rubbed his face, feeling the grime from the night before in his hair. "At first, it looked like the last colony, abandoned and destroyed. Then, as we walked through it looking for survivors, we were attacked."

"Attacked how?" Rachel asked.

Teyla took over the briefing then. "The colonists were waging a war to retain control of the planet. It seems that the attempt has taken many days. In the end, the resistance was unsuccessful in defending the colony from occupation."

Elizabeth frowned. "Occupation by whom?"

"That's just it," Sheppard said with a glare. "We don't know. And neither do they. The people doing this came from the first colony and appear to be stronger and faster than anything humanly possible."

Rachel sat forward. "Genetic manipulation?"

"Mmm, it appears so." McKay held up a finger. "We managed to get close to a body and take a tissue sample. Beckett has it and should have the results by this evening. Hopefully, it'll tell us where this came from."

Rachel nodded. "I'll go see Beckett after this briefing and offer my assistance."

Sheppard frowned at her, appreciating her clean, innocent appearance. "Come to think of it, why are you sitting in on a post-mission briefing?"

"Why, thank you, Colonel. It's good to see you, too." Rachel grinned at him, letting him know that his rude question wasn't taken with offense. "Actually, I'm here to brief you as soon as you're done briefing us."

Sheppard tore his eyes from her and looked to the governor of Atlantis. "Elizabeth?"

"It seems we may have drug problem, John." Elizabeth made the announcement with her usual aplomb. "Dr. Harrison discovered something and brought it to my attention just before your return."

"What drug problem?" Sheppard turned from Elizabeth to Rachel.

"I'm not entirely sure what it is, yet. Dr. Beckett and I are still investigating, but I thought it warranted closer attention." Rachel met his eyes. "During an appointment with one of the soldiers this morning, I noticed an unusual euphoria, which was in direct contradiction to the emotional state in which this soldier came to me three days ago. When I spoke with Dr. Beckett, I discovered that this soldier has not received a physical since his arrival on Atlantis, and he's been off world at least once. That, combined with his psychological symptoms, concerns me."

"Wait." Sheppard held up a hand. "You're telling me that someone is using and possibly distributing drugs here?"

Rachel shrugged. "I don't know, yet. If Dr. Beckett finds any others who have skipped their physicals, then we will proceed with the investigation. If not, I will ask Dr. Beckett to conduct a physical on this patient and resolve the issue."

"I want your full report," Sheppard said as he pushed back from the table. "Now, if there's nothing else, I need a shower."

He stalked from the room, his headache growing in proportion to his stress. He'd been military commander of Atlantis for more years than humanly possible, and he'd never felt the need to walk out of a briefing. Of course, it could have something to do with the fact that he hadn't slept, eaten, or showered in nearly two days. Or it could be that he just couldn't stand the thought of Rachel seeing him when he wanted nothing more than to kill someone. That woman read him like a book, and she often knew the right words to say. Sheppard didn't do feelings. He'd said so on numerous occasions. But something about Rachel Harrison brought out that side of him and made him feel halfway decent about letting it show.

After a long shower, Sheppard left his quarters and headed for the archaeology labs. As he'd washed his hair, he remembered part of the reason he'd been so cranky the last few days. He had tried to take Rachel's advice where Nadia was concerned, and the date had ended abruptly when unknown forces attacked an ally's colony. Then, he found himself in a deadly situation without being able to complete the job. It irritated him that circumstances conspired against him. So, now that he was back on Atlantis, he would take care of this situation for good and sleep well tonight. Heaven knew he needed a good night's sleep.

Nadia sat behind a computer, the glow from the screen glinting off of her glasses as she worked. Sheppard looked around, thankful to see only one other person in the lab. At least there wouldn't be ten people who overheard this conversation.

Nadia glanced up and smiled. "John." Her voice held that warm, seductive quality that hinted at a great evening. It had drawn him to her in the first place. She pushed away from the computer console and rounded the table, her lab coat concealing her alluring saunter. "What brings you down here?"

"Uh, can I have a word?" He glanced at the other archaeologist in the room. "Outside?"

Her eyes sparkled, and an eyebrow rose. "Absolutely." She followed him out the door and into a small alcove just down the hall. When he sat in one of the seats there, she frowned. "John, I'm flattered, but I'm working."

He knew those words were meant to be inviting. Instead, they irritated him. "Nadia, sit down."

She dropped into the chair next to him. "What's wrong?"

"Well, there's just something I need to talk to you about, and it really can't wait much longer." He rubbed his face. "It's about us."

Her face cleared of all emotion. She opened her mouth to speak, but an announcement came over the city's com system right then. "Colonel Sheppard to the control room immediately. Colonel Sheppard to the control room."

Sheppard ground his teeth together and tapped his radio. "McKay, can it wait?"

"No," McKay said with an irritated tone in his voice. "No, it can't."

"I'm on my way," Sheppard growled. He terminated the com link and shook his head. "I'm sorry."

"I understand." Nadia took his hand and wrapped it in hers. "Duty calls."

"Yeah." Sheppard extricated himself from her grasp and stood. "Next time, I won't let anything interrupt our conversation."

She leaned back in a manner meant to be inviting. "See that you don't."

Wondering if there was a warning in her statement, Sheppard left her sitting in the hall and headed for the control room. He found McKay hunkered over a computer, vehemently arguing with Zelenka about sensors and power distribution. "McKay! What was so important that I needed to be here right now?"

McKay looked up. "This." He turned his computer to face Sheppard. Code of some sort scrolled down the screen.

"What is this?"

"This?" McKay asked. "This is computer code."

"Well I can see that."

"What you can't see is what it's doing to the city's systems." McKay stood and rushed to another console. "Right now, the city's sensors are down, and power distribution is a mess. If it continues at this rate, we'll lose the shield and cloak, not to mention half a dozen other systems. We'll be sitting ducks."

"Wait." Sheppard held up a hand to stop the scientist's technobabble. "You're telling me what?"

"We've got a computer virus." McKay stared at him. "A bad one. And, if I'm reading things correctly, someone in the city is responsible."

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Below the control room, Daniels stared at the Stargate as McKay informed Sheppard of the trouble the city faced. Soldiers around him glanced at each other, and he worked to keep the worried expression on his face. He wanted to jump for joy. It had worked. With this virus introduced into the city's systems, they would be blind for several days. That gave him just enough time to sabotage Sheppard's life and leave this city vulnerable to attack from the Boss's ship. By the time he returned, he would be in command of Atlantis.

~TBC


	14. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: **Contains spoilers for "Intruder." As always, review and tell me what you think. ~lg

Chapter Thirteen

"Dr. Beckett to Colonel Sheppard."

Sheppard tapped his headset, only marginally irritated. If Beckett called him, something was wrong. "Go ahead."

"I've been looking into Lt. Brady's missing physical." Beckett paused long enough for McKay to raise his eyebrows at Sheppard's distraction. "From what I can tell, he's the only one who has skipped any of the mandatory physicals. Of course, with Ronon being here, I haven't had a chance to thoroughly go through the files, and I didn't feel like this was something to give to another doctor."

"Understood, Doc." Sheppard almost disconnected the com link before he remembered to ask, "How's Ronon?"

"He'll recover." Beckett sounded a little irritated. "Right now, he's sedated. When he heard about the computer virus, he wanted to climb out of the bed and help you track down the culprit. His massive blood loss last night concerns me, and I sedated him until he's stronger."

"Alright, Doc. Keep me posted." Sheppard ended the call and turned to Rodney. "McKay?"

"I'm working!" Once he no longer had to explain every step, McKay disappeared into a competent haze, sharing only half-sentences with Zelenka.

Weir chose that moment to appear. "John? What's happening?"

"Sorry to wake you, Elizabeth." Sheppard stepped back, allowing McKay and Zelenka to do their jobs. "It seems we have a computer virus, and McKay thinks someone on Atlantis uploaded it into the city's systems."

Weir stepped forward. "Rodney?"

"He's right. I just can't figure out where it's from." He glanced up and looked between the two leaders of Atlantis. "Give me a few minutes, and I might, stress _might_, be able to get you an origination point."

"As soon as you can, McKay." Sheppard walked away from the control room, his irritation rising. This was not how he wanted to spend the evening. He wanted to eat, break up with Nadia, and sleep-not necessarily in that order. Everything in his life had gone haywire at that moment, and it didn't look like he'd get any food or sleep anytime soon.

Elizabeth stepped to his side. "John?"

"I'm tired." He shook his head. "I'm hungry. I have some unfinished personal business that keeps getting put off by various crises. And I'm mad. That's what's happening."

She stared down at the Stargate, her eyebrows rising. "That's very succinct. Are you going to be okay to get through this?"

"I'll be fine." Sheppard looked at her. "Once this particular crisis is over, I'm leaving Lorne in charge for about two days and sleeping for most of them."

"Deal." Weir nodded in agreement.

McKay stood from his seat. "Okay, I have something." He waited until Sheppard and Weir joined him at a large screen. "This virus is adapting. Right now, it's attacking the power distribution systems along with sensor systems. As a result, we're flying blind. I mean, we can't even use the city's life signs detectors to tell how many people we do or don't have on board. And the power distribution problems are only going to get worse."

"How worse?" Weir asked.

"Much, much worse." McKay moved back to his laptop. "Right now, I'm barely keeping the lights on. This virus hasn't taxed the ZedPM more than it normally is. It's just rerouting power around to strange areas of the city."

"What areas?" This time, Sheppard asked for clarification.

"Outlying labs. The isolation room. The underwater Jumper bay. A storage area on the western pier." McKay pointed to his computer screen. "Look, all I know right now is that it's like that virus we encountered on the Daedalus all those years ago. The Wraith virus?"

Elizabeth's eyes widened. "The one that nearly flew us into a sun? I remember it."

"Well, it's not Wraith, but it's adapting very quickly," McKay said distractedly as he returned to working on the problem. "And, with all of the computers on Atlantis, it's going to be next to impossible to eliminate it once we figure out how. And, before you ask, we're not doing a citywide shut down." He focused on his computer screen. "At least, not yet."

Elizabeth put a hand on his shoulder. "Just figure it out."

As if encouraged by her touch, McKay sat up. "What's this?" His delight was short-lived. A moment later, the control room went dark. "Aw, come on!"

Sheppard stepped to his side. "McKay?"

"We're locked out. Every computer that was networked into the city's systems in no longer useful." McKay glared at him. "Right now, we have communications and life support. Everything else is out of my control."

"Any other good news?" Sheppard asked sarcastically.

"Well, I now know where the virus originated, but I don't know who the quarters belong to." McKay picked up his tablet, the only type of computer in the control room that wasn't tied into the city's power systems. He called up a schematic of Atlantis and pointed. "It's from right here. And, if my tablet is correct, that's Lt. Brady's quarters."

"Brady." Sheppard clenched his jaw and tapped his earpiece. "Lorne, I need you to gather your team and several others-men that you trust. We have a situation that might require search parties. Meet me in the armory."

A moment later, Lorne's sleepy voice came over the com system. "Yes, Sir."

Sheppard turned back to McKay. "You're sure about this?"

"Well, as sure as I can be in this situation."

"Good enough. Dr. Beckett!" Sheppard turned away from the flabbergasted scientist and waited while Beckett responded. "I need you to page Brady to the infirmary for a physical. Hopefully, we'll get the guy to surrender himself peacefully, and those search parties won't be necessary."

"Search parties?" Beckett asked.

"Just make the announcement. I'll explain later." Sheppard rubbed his eyes. Someone on Atlantis had purposefully sabotaged the city, and he planned to find and detain them-at the least.

A moment later, the citywide comms activated. "Lieutenant Brady to the infirmary immediately. Lieutenant Brady to the infirmary."

Sheppard looked at Elizabeth. "I'm taking Rodney with me. Let me know if anything changes." He headed for the armory without waiting for a reply.

In the armory, Lorne, Teyla, and several teams waited. Sheppard grabbed a TAC vest and spoke as he put it on. "We currently have a computer virus that's been uploaded into the city's systems. We're flying blind, using handheld life signs detectors for this. The virus originated from a set of quarters that Lorne, Teyla, McKay, and I will investigate. The rest of you will begin searching the city should Beckett's announcement go unheeded. You are to detain, using such force as necessary."

One of the Marines actually raised his hand. "Who are we looking for?"

Sheppard looked directly at him. "I'll let you know in a few moments." He tapped his headset. "Beckett?"

"He's not here, Colonel."

"Good enough for me." Sheppard turned back to the Marine. "We're looking for one Lt. Daniel Brady. Let's go."

The men split into teams, and Sheppard led the way toward crew quarters. With power out around much of the city, they resorted to using the stairways. Halfway to Brady's quarters, Rachel rounded the corner. She flattened herself against the wall as Lorne, Teyla, and McKay rushed past. Sheppard slowed.

"Colonel, what's going on?"

Sheppard appreciated her professional approach even though he'd given her permission to use his first name. "A man hunt." He motioned for Lorne to continue and faced Rachel. "Lt. Brady uploaded a virus into the city's computers. He's not responding to radio calls, and we're trying to find him."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry it came to this."

Rather than replying, Sheppard touched her elbow and continued to where Lorne watched. He knew the other man would comment on his actions eventually, but he just didn't have the strength to resist the pull between him and the psychologist. He turned the corner and led the way to Brady's quarters.

After Rodney hacked the door controls to let them in, the four of them spread out. The unmade bed marred the neatness of the room. It looked as if Brady had risen and headed straight for duty. No sign remained of the wayward lieutenant. Sheppard walked over to a dresser, intrigued by the pictures. Many people still kept framed photographs, but these were different. Sheppard picked up a shot of a laughing baby, frowning as he tried to figure out why it seemed familiar.

Teyla moved to his side. "That is uncanny."

"What is?"

"That baby looks very similar to Torren when he was that age." Teyla took the photo and stared at it.

A disconcerting sensation in the pit of his stomach drove Sheppard to pick up the other photo, this one of an attractive blond woman. "I think you're right. This one looks a lot like Cadman."

McKay stood suddenly. "Hey, what's this?" He turned to face the room, holding up an old laptop. "I think we just figured out where Daniels went."

Sheppard whirled. "Why do you think he's on Atlantis?"

"This laptop is the one that was stolen from the Alpha Site," McKay announced.

Sheppard stared at him for a moment. "You're telling me that Daniels _infiltrated_ Atlantis? And then uploaded a virus into the city's systems? Why?"

"Well, don't look at me," McKay muttered. He opened the laptop and went to work. "Give me a couple hours. I'll be able to tell you exactly what he had access to. If it's even Daniels. It might be someone working with Daniels."

Lorne chose that moment to interrupt. "Sir."

Sheppard turned, too tired to try to argue anymore. "Whatcha got?"

"It looks like Daniels has a girlfriend." Lorne reached into the sheets and held up a see-through negligee.

Sheppard glared at it. He knew that negligee. He'd liked that negligee when Nadia first modeled it for him.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

"Lieutenant Brady to the infirmary immediately. Lieutenant Brady to the infirmary."

Daniels glanced up at the announcement and frowned. It meant that Sheppard had figured out that Brady wasn't on the up and up. Perhaps he thought something different, but only a matter of time would tell if he'd completely blown his cover.

Rather than setting off at a dead run, Daniels continued walking in his purposeful way. At the coming intersection, he turned away from the crew quarters. He'd left Nadia in his quarters that morning, and she had disappeared by the time he checked in at lunch. As much as he didn't like the woman's clingy attitude, he certainly enjoyed their nights together. No wonder Sheppard had stayed with her for so long.

The underwater Jumper bay still had power, thanks to the nasty virus he'd managed to get into Atlantis. The little-used portion of the city was vulnerable to attack. By rerouting the city's power there, he created a bolt hole that appeared to be completely random on McKay's computers. Who would deliberately send power to such a remote section of the city?

In the Jumper he'd flown into Atlantis, Daniels sat down and considered his options. He knew his time to act had come, and he wanted everything to go as smoothly as possible. After all, he would soon be destroying Sheppard. The plan couldn't go by too swiftly. He wouldn't get any enjoyment out of it, but he refused delay acting.

With a determined growl, Daniels stood and pulled out the small case he'd kept hidden beneath one of the Jumper's rear seats. The case contained a serum the Boss had synthesized. The serum would allow Rachel to fight long enough for Daniels to get his shots in. Hopefully, seeing his lady's face torn to shreds would motivate Sheppard to surrender himself. Daniels only regretted that the plan included allowing Rachel to go free. He would have loved to torture Sheppard by merely touching the woman the colonel loved.

~TBC


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

She needed the early morning quiet. Rachel smiled as she stepped out onto her office balcony. The sun would rise soon, and the crisp cool of the morning would fade. She lifted her face to the breeze, loving how the sea air refreshed her. She had come here after seeing Sheppard in the corridor, knowing that she wouldn't sleep with Brady on the loose. After all, she brought this to Beckett's attention. If she hadn't, Brady would probably have escaped.

Something stung her neck, and Rachel slapped at it. Instead of squashing a bug, her hand encountered a medical hypospray. Instinct kicked in. She spun with her elbow out and felt the satisfying crunch of someone's nose. The man grunted as he backed away, allowing Rachel to get her bearings. She blinked and swayed. That injection hurt.

Brady stood and glared at her, his eyes glinting in the bright moonlight. Rachel backed into her office and reached up to touch the com link that she always wore. It wasn't there. Brady grinned and held up the radio that he had taken as he injected her with whatever the drug happened to be.

Desperation drove Rachel, and she attacked with everything in her. Her training with Ronon stood up to Brady's calculated attacks. She took several hits to the face, one of them severe enough to cause her vision to darken momentarily. Or was it the drug? The dimly lit office faded in and out of focus, and she blinked as Brady's fist flew toward her. She tried to block it, but she was too slow. Her arm came up a moment too late, and his fist connected, sending her into unconsciousness.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

"McKay!" Sheppard growled. In two hours, the alpha shift returned to duty, and he had managed to get an hour of restless sleep. After finding Nadia's clothing in Brady's quarters, he left Lorne staring at him quizzically and dropped into his bed. He was too tired to continue, anyway. An hour later, he awoke and stalked back to the control room.

McKay glared at him. "Don't blame me! I'm not the one who uploaded a virus into the city's systems! Nor am I the one who cut the power to the control room! It's difficult enough to try to fight this virus, it's even harder to do it on an archaic laptop that should have been destroyed years ago!"

Elizabeth stepped out of her office. "John. I thought you were going to get some sleep."

"I tried. It didn't work too well." Sheppard rubbed his face. "What's going on here?"

"Well, we're waiting. Zelenka's working on the problem as well, but it's going to take time."

"I figured that out." Sheppard glared at Rodney's head. "How much sleep has _he_ had?"

Elizabeth shook her head, indicating that McKay had worked through the night. She glanced out the window and frowned. "Did you authorize anyone to take a Jumper?"

"No, why?"

"One of them just took off and cloaked."

Sheppard turned from Elizabeth and slapped the citywide comms. "Attention all personnel. Check in immediately with your department heads. This is not a drill!"

"John!" Elizabeth scowled at him. "What are you doing?"

"We know Brady and Daniels are in league, if not the same person." Sheppard pointed out the window. "Now, someone just took a Jumper, our sensors are down, and we can't do a head count. The only way for us to know if anyone else is missing is by having everyone check in with their department heads."

"You're right." She drew in a deep breath. "You're not the only one who's tired."

For the next half hour, Sheppard paced from one end of the control room to the other. He wanted to bug McKay but knew that the scientist would work better if he didn't bother him. Rather than slowing down the process of ridding the city of the virus, Sheppard chose to irritate the others in the control room.

Finally, after what seemed like an inordinate amount of time, Chuck handed a tablet to Sheppard. "Only Lt. Brady and Dr. Harrison are missing, Sir."

Sheppard's head came up quickly. "Rachel's missing?"

Chuck nodded. "Sorry, Sir."

Sheppard clenched his jaw and glared at no one in particular. It wasn't Chuck's fault that Rachel had disappeared-literally. He looked at Elizabeth. "Is Lorne still awake?"

She nodded. "He said he'll be available until this is over."

"Good enough for me." Sheppard headed for the transporter as he tapped his com link. "Lorne, meet me at Dr. Harrison's office."

"Yes, Sir," Lorne responded almost immediately. Sheppard left McKay in the control room glaring at his computer screen and jogged through Atlantis's corridors.

Lorne met him outside Rachel's office. "What's going on, Sir?"

"Not sure yet." Sheppard waved his hand in front of the door controls, and the doors opened. He stepped inside, the lights coming on automatically. The first thing he noticed was the night air that swept through the room. At this height, the "breeze" wasn't so calm. Then, he noticed the room.

Lorne stepped into the office behind him. "Oh, no."

Sheppard stared. The desk still sat in place, but everything else was destroyed. He stepped through the rubble and out onto the balcony. Spots of blood and a medical hypospray littered the balcony. "I think the fight started out here."

Lorne pulled a specimen collector from his pocket and began collecting the blood. "Where do you think she is, Sir?"

"I don't know." Sheppard looked around again, at a complete loss. "Brady took off with her in a Jumper a few minutes ago. From this office, I'd say she didn't go willingly."

Lorne stood and looked him in the eye. "Would Rachel ever willingly do anything she didn't want to do?"

"You have a point."

"So, what now?" Lorne obviously had a plan, but he didn't want to make his CO look bad.

"Now, I go talk to someone." Sheppard pointed at the evidence in Lorne's hand. "Get that to Beckett. He'll be able to tell us who Brady really is."

Sheppard left the other man in the office and walked toward Nadia's quarters. He'd put off talking to her earlier that evening. He'd been too angry to calmly speak. The time for restraint had ended, however. With Rachel's disappearance, Nadia's boyfriend had crossed a line. Not only had he taken a member of Atlantis's command staff. He'd taken a lady Sheppard cared about more than any other woman in his life. That warranted a little anger.

Nadia wasn't in her quarters. Sheppard used a hand-held life signs detector to determine that. Rather than waiting around, he turned and stalked down to her lab. It didn't matter who saw them as they spoke. She knew something about Brady, and he was going to find out exactly what it was.

In the archaeology lab, Nadia sat behind her computer. She should have been in bed, but something had kept her here rather than where she needed to be. Sheppard walked in, and she smiled at him. The smile faded when she saw his glare. "John?"

He looked around, noticing two others working in the lab. "Can I have a word? Outside?"

She straightened. "We can talk here."

Sheppard glanced at the two scientists trying to look as uninterested as possible. "Okay, have it your way." He pulled zip-tie cuffs from his pocket and walked around her desk. "Nadia Reynolds, you are under arrest for aiding and abetting a fugitive."

"What?" Her voice rose exponentially. "I have no idea what you're talking about!" She fought with him, trying to get her arms free. "John! Stop!"

"No," he replied calmly, tightening the cuffs around her wrists. "Your boyfriend just stole a Jumper and took off with Dr. Harrison in it. And, from the looks of her office, she didn't go willingly."

Nadia whirled to face him. "If you'd been half the man I thought you were, I would never have needed to go elsewhere!" she hissed.

Sheppard stepped back. "Excuse me?"

"I know about you and _her_!" She tossed her head toward the door. "I know you spent time with her, 'talking' to the psychologist. Yeah, right! You just used that to disguise the real reasons you went to see her!"

"Now, wait just a minute." Sheppard held up a hand. "You have no idea what you're talking about. I've never. . . ." He didn't finish the sentence, choosing to grab her arm and lead her from the lab. The other two archaeologists had given up trying to appear uninterested and stared openly. As they walked, he whispered, "I haven't slept with anyone since we've been together!"

"Really?" she asked in a normal tone. "Because I've heard rumors about the two of you."

"What rumors?"

"That you were sleeping together. That you'd been seen holding her in her office. That you were actually dating her." Nadia tried to glare at him. "And you did all of this while we were still together."

"First of all, your information's wrong." Sheppard steered her toward the brig. "I never dated anyone while we were together. The one time I thought about crossing the line, I stopped because you were still in the picture. And I don't know where you're getting your information, but you have a lot to learn about men and women. The day you're talking about, she was crying over her _husband's_ death."

"Likely story."

"It's the truth." Sheppard shoved her into the empty brig and closed the door, activating the force shield. "That doesn't excuse the fact that you, knowingly or unknowingly, associated with a traitor. No matter who Brady turns out to be, you've dug a hole so deep you can't get yourself out of it."

The truth of her situation suddenly set in, and he watched the realization cover her face. Her anger melted away, and tears filled her eyes. She sniffled slightly. "John, what's going to happen to me?"

"I don't know." He stared at her, trying to decide if the tears were real. "Right now, you're not our priority." He turned to go but thought of something he still needed to say. "If you still haven't figured it out, we're over."

"John?" Her voice followed him out of the room, grating on his nerves with its whiny tone.

As he walked out of the room, Sheppard wondered if he should feel so good about throwing someone in jail. Nadia had argued the entire time they walked, not caring who overheard their conversation. He had tried to keep his responses quiet, but they had been pretty intense as well. For the first time in his life, he realized what selfishness could do to a person. It made them like Nadia, clingy and willing to do anything to get her way.

Sheppard wandered the halls, not really paying attention to his destination. He should return to the control room and report Nadia's arrest. But he needed time. He'd thought that, by breaking up with her, he'd be free to pursue Rachel. Ironically, he felt sadness. And anger. He had wasted a year of his life on a worthless woman like Nadia Reynolds.

He ended up at Rachel's office. Without really thinking, he waved his hand over the door controls and stepped inside. The office was in shambles. Two overturned chairs framed a shattered glass coffee table. A lamp lay in the middle of the glass, solving the mystery of how anyone escaped without being seriously injured. While the desk still sat in its place, someone had scattered everything on top of it, including the photographs. From the looks of it, Rachel tried to fend Brady off by throwing things at him.

Sheppard stepped over the glass and picked up one of the photos. It was a picture of Rachel and her husband, taken close to his death. Gray streaked the man's hair, but Rachel still looked to be about thirty in the picture. She smiled, the brilliance of it jumping out at him. Even though the marriage had been cut short, she'd been happy.

Another mound in the office caught his attention. The blue acoustic guitar still rested on its stand, albeit somewhat crookedly. But the black and white guitar-the one Rachel had played the day they met-lay under the computer that once sat on her desk. Sheppard set the photo aside and moved the computer. Over the years, the things had gotten smaller and smaller. Still, the guitar was technically an antique and should have been treated with respect and care. After tossing the computer aside, he picked up the guitar.

A couple of the strings had been cut, and a deep scratch marred the back of the black body. Sheppard ran his hands over it, wondering if any cosmetic procedure would eliminate the scratch. McKay would know, as would Anna Lorne. Sheppard turned the guitar in his hands, surveying the damage as he did so. Rachel had put up quite a fight. She'd known she was fighting for her life. And he wondered how to get her back.

Suddenly, the shock wore off, and anger welled up inside of him. He put the guitar down, not wanting to cause more damage in his anger. As he righted the stand and set the guitar on it, the pressure inside built to the point that he had to let it escape. The yell started in his gut and echoed around the room as he planted his fist against the wall with every ounce of strength he had left. The pain felt good, and he barely stopped himself from doing so again.

The anger faded quickly, however, leaving him in the room that symbolized Rachel's absence. If he didn't get her back. . . . He couldn't finish the thought. He didn't want to finish the thought. Exhaustion, anger, loss. . .they all pressed in on him, and he sat down in the middle of the room, barely missing the glass. If losing Rachel wasn't enough, he'd also lost Earth. Propping his arms on his raised knees, he dropped his head and cried for the first time in years.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Daniels turned to face the screen as it activated. Like any other time, he couldn't see the Boss's face, only her figure. Still, tonight, it would be enough. The time spent gathering intelligence had gone well, and his latest escapade, while not as smooth as possible, had been executed with precision. He gave her a feral grin and nodded to the form on the screen. "I brought her."

"Good," the Boss said. "Keep her sedated. Take her to our base on the new colony. The men there will know what to do with her."

Daniels nodded as the screen went blank. He looked at Rachel's face, almost regretting the cuts and black eye. She really was a beautiful woman, and torturing Sheppard with her would have been supremely satisfying. But that was not to be. The Boss had a plan, and her plans were always better than his. Daniels bent, tossed Rachel over his shoulder, and carried her to a cell. Moments later, the cloaked ship in New Lantea's system set a new course.

~TBC


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

A sharp odor woke Rachel from the semi-comforting darkness. She shook her head to clear her nose of the smell and groaned. Her head pounded, whether from that last blow or whatever Brady had given her, she didn't know. A rag had been stuffed into her mouth, and the bindings around her wrists hurt. Various cuts on her face stung, and bruises made moving a difficult proposition. Then, she opened her eyes.

Bright lights magnified the headache. She blinked, feeling the tenderness around one of her eyes. Oh, _that_ had to be a sight. A form moved, and Rachel tried to discern features.

A man laughed softly. "Welcome back."

Rachel wrenched her head around and instantly regretted the action. She tried to speak, but the gag only let noise escape. She groaned at the pain in her neck.

The man moved, crossing in front of the first figure. "I do apologize for the way you've been treated, but I assure you that it was necessary. You see, I can't have you yelling about not compromising when I'm trying to negotiate your release."

Rachel glared at him, deciding to use her expressions to communicate since he refused to remove the gag.

The first man snorted. "Just let her go. It will be too much fun."

_Brady_, Rachel thought. She recognized the voice.

The second form continued in a civil tone. "She will be released without further harm. Of course," he continued as he looked at her, "that all depends on others. If I have to, I will not hesitate to cause you excruciating pain." He motioned to someone behind her, and a third form pushed a screen into her line of sight. "I thought you'd want to see this."

Before she could allow her confusion to show, the screen came to life. Sheppard stared at it, his face looking as haggard as she felt. Rachel wanted to reach out and smooth the anger and sadness from his face. Instead, she just stared as his brow lowered in rage.

Brady moved and laughed. "I see you already knew that Dr. Harrison had gone missing." He folded his arms. "If it were up to me, Sheppard, she would stay missing. But it's not."

Sheppard stared at him. "I am going to kill you, Brady." The lack of emotion in that statement chilled Rachel's blood. She knew he was a soldier, but she had never seen this side of him. It was as if he had shut off every ounce of emotion.

The second man laughed again. "Promises, promises." He stepped into Rachel's line of sight. "Hello, Sheppard."

Sheppard's face paled. "Kolya."

"Surprised to see me?"

"Actually? Yeah, I am." Sheppard recovered quickly. "I _know_ I killed you."

"Oh, you killed me." The first man, Kolya, nodded to Brady, who moved behind Rachel. "I am actually the last in a long line of men to carry the name Acastus Kolya. The others failed. I will not."

"What do you want?" Sheppard asked.

"Oh, that's quite simple." Kolya chuckled. "I want you. I'm offering a straight trade, your Dr. Harrison for you. The good doctor here put up quite a fight, and her wounds have been treated. She'll be returned a little worse for the wear but otherwise unharmed. You have one hour. I'm transmitting a gate address now. Kolya out."

Rachel stared as the screen went blank. She knew Sheppard well enough to read his face. He had made his decision, and she wouldn't agree with it. It was the only decision a man in his position could make. Still, she wished he would refuse. Atlantis needed him more than they needed her. She was expendable. In order to keep Sheppard safe, she would happily make the sacrifice.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Sheppard turned from the dark screen to see Weir staring at him with her arms crossed. "What?"

"No."

"No, what?" He followed her to her office. "You're not seriously thinking about stopping me from going."

"That's exactly what I'm thinking about doing." Elizabeth closed the door of her office and whirled to face him. "If he really is Kolya somehow brought back to life, he'll kill you."

"If I don't, he'll kill _her_!" Sheppard whispered. "I can't let that happen."

"John?"

"Look, Elizabeth, I know I'm not the guy who has committed relationships. I get that." He looked out at the control room, where Rodney, Zelenka, and Lorne conferred with each other. "I mean, Lorne married Anna years ago. But, I'm telling you this now, if we don't get Rachel back, I don't know if I'll survive it."

"Why, John Sheppard, are you telling me you're in love with her?" Elizabeth asked, surprised and smiling.

"Yeah, I guess I am." He thought about that for a moment. "Point is, I can't lose her. I can't let you guys lose her. She's too valuable to the people on this base. I have a chance to make sure that you and every other person here is safe. If I can get close enough to Kolya, I can kill him. I did it before, and I can do it again."

Outside the office, Beckett appeared and spoke with Lorne. Sheppard watched the shock cross his second-in-command's face and left Elizabeth standing in her office. "What?"

Beckett moved around the stunned men in the control room. "I just got the results of the blood tests back. The ones Colonel Lorne brought me from Dr. Harrison's office? Before you ask, I ran them three times, and it took me so long to make a match because I had to go back about eighty years. Lt. Brady is Major Chris Daniels. He's the one who broke into the Alpha Site."

Sheppard stared at the man as several things began to fall into place. "Chris Daniels infiltrated Atlantis? How?"

Elizabeth, who had followed him into the control room. "The underwater Jumper bay."

"Of course!" McKay rushed back to his computer. "That makes sense! This computer virus is causing wild fluctuations in power distribution. Not enough to be extremely deadly, mind you. But enough to reroute power to several random places, including the underwater Jumper bay. I thought it was just part of the virus, but he must have created a bolt hole down there. I wouldn't be surprised if his Jumper was modified to slip past our sensors."

Sheppard shook his head. "Probably not. By the time we knew we had a problem here, Daniels had already infiltrated the base and made his move. He also had a little inside information." He turned to Elizabeth. "Dial the coordinates Kolya gave you. I'll be ready in five minutes."

"John."

"I'm not leaving her there." Sheppard pointed at the Stargate. "If I don't respond, he'll torture her until she either gives him what he wants or she's dead. I had the chance to rescue Ford all those years ago, and I didn't take it. This is like when Michael took Teyla. I _am not_ letting her slip through my hands."

Elizabeth stared at him, trying to read his mind. "I'm not going to be able to stop you, am I?"

"No." He looked at Chuck. "Be ready to dial in five minutes."

When he stepped through the gate, Elizabeth, Lorne, McKay, Teyla, and Ronon looked on without speaking. They understood. Sheppard knew that they would carry on his work even after he was gone.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Daniels held Rachel's arm as he waited. Less than thirty minutes after Kolya's call to Atlantis, the gate activated. Sheppard stepped through, not wearing his TAC vest or any of his weapons. The man clearly knew what he faced. His hands lifted, and he glanced at Rachel briefly before searching out Kolya's face. "I'm here. Let her go."

Kolya nodded to Daniels. "Do it."

Daniels considered disobeying the order. After all, he could cause Sheppard so much more pain by not keeping his end of the bargain. His hesitation brought a second glance from Kolya, and he quickly cut her bonds. He did not want to test Kolya's nifty super powers. Without warning, Rachel turned around and punched him in the nose, breaking it in the process. Even gagged, the woman spoke loudly.

As he held his nose and groaned at the sudden pain, she clawed the gag off of her face and ran into Sheppard's arms. Daniels moved forward, intent on breaking them apart.

Kolya stopped him. "Let them have this moment." He grinned. "They won't see each other again."

Daniels glared and stood by, ignoring the blood dripping down his face. Just another reason to destroy the people living on Atlantis. They had caused so much pain and trouble for him that he couldn't let a single one of them live.

In front of the gate, Sheppard held his woman, rubbing her back as she cried into his shoulder. Daniels watched, almost enjoying the tender scene. The perverse pleasure he derived from watching their final goodbye would have to last until he attacked Atlantis. As he considered the two, he thought that he might keep one woman alive. Rachel seemed like the type who made the fight worth it. Maybe, just maybe, he'd keep Sheppard's woman as his own.

Sheppard pushed Rachel back from him and looked her in the eye. "You need to go back."

"I can't." She shook her head. "If I leave, he'll kill you."

"I know." He smoothed her matted hair from her face. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

While they spoke, one of Kolya's men dialed the gate. The wormhole established, and Kolya radioed Atlantis. "We have him. Lower your shield, and Dr. Harrison will be returned."

A moment later, Weir's voice came over the radio. "The shield is lowered. There is a security team standing by. If you decide to invade, you will be killed the moment you step through the gate. Daniels, as well."

Kolya eyed Daniels with a raise eyebrow. "So, you know who he really is."

"Yes, and he won't get past our defenses again."

_Oh, I wouldn't be sure about that, Dr. Weir_, Daniels thought. His virus should still be causing all kinds of havoc as it raced through the city's systems and adapted itself to their attempts to remove it.

In front of the Stargate, Sheppard kissed Rachel's forehead. "I'll be back. I promise."

Tired of watching the sickening scene, Daniels stepped forward, ripped Rachel from Sheppard's arms, and pushed her through the Stargate. Once the wormhole disengaged, he turned to face Sheppard. "It's my turn, now."

~TBC

**Author's Note: ** I know this chapter is a little shorter than most, and I apologize. I had a family emergency the morning I wrote this, and my mind wasn't working as well as it could have. We're almost done with the story. Stay tuned to see what happens. As always, let me know what you think! ~lg


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

The gate shut down, and Rachel stared at Atlantis's stained glass windows. This was not happening! Sheppard did not just do what he did! Even as she thought it, she knew that he had forfeited his life to save her. She raised her hands, staring at the rope burns on her wrists even as she started to shake. Tears came to her eyes, and she covered her face. It didn't matter who saw her right now. It mattered that the man she loved had just turned himself over to a killer.

A whimper turned into a cry, and Rachel realized that the sounds came from her mouth. Before she could fully collapse in front of the Stargate, strong arms wrapped around her shoulders. Lorne's "Hey, Doc" vaguely penetrated the haze, and he turned her away from the gate. A moment later, a second set of arms moved around her back, and someone lifted her from the floor. She laid her head against his shoulder and recognized the soft leather tunic that Ronon often wore. In the company of friends, she buried her face and wept.

In the infirmary, she felt herself lowered into a bed. She drew in a shaky breath, trying to stop the tears that forced their way past her normal barriers. She shouldn't have broken down in the control room. She should have held it together until she was alone.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Beckett's outraged voice calmed her slightly. Rachel turned to see him pushing Ronon toward a bed. "You most likely aggravated your wound, if not tore the stitches open."

Ronon looked at Rachel and shrugged. "Yeah? So?"

"So you shouldna have done that. You should have waited until a medical team could get to the gate room."

Lorne intervened, clearly seeing Ronon's murderous expression. "Doc, let it go."

Beckett dropped the subject and examined Ronon's shoulder, giving Rachel enough time to pull herself together. She wiped at her face and smiled at Teyla when the other woman laid a hand on her shoulder. "Thanks."

"We will get him back." Teyla smiled reassuringly. "Do not worry."

Weir joined Lorne as Beckett examined her. "What happened out there?"

"Well, as you know, Bra-I mean, Daniels kidnapped me." Rachel blinked as Beckett shined a pen light into her eyes. The brightness stung after all of her tears. "I don't know what he injected me with, but it took a while to kick in. The headache is pretty spectacular."

Beckett nodded. "Aye, I can imagine. It's a chemical we've never encountered before, and I'm still trying to figure some of it out."

Rachel turned to Lorne and Weir, blinking back the dots that Beckett's pen light caused in her vision. "When I came to, they were shining enough lights at me that I couldn't recognize anyone. Of course, I recognized Brady's voice." She stopped and chuckled mirthlessly. "Sorry. Daniels's voice. Anyway, I heard the conversation with Colonel Sheppard and this Kolya's ultimatum. When he came through the gate, they didn't attack him immediately. They let us speak for just a moment. Then, Daniels pushed me through the gate."

"You have no idea where they took you," Lorne asked.

Rachel shook her head. "Sorry. I lost consciousness in my office, and I didn't wake up until just before they contacted you. Why? How long was I gone?"

"About a day."

Rachel winced as Beckett examined her eye. "Sorry." She looked from Lorne to Weir. "So, what's the plan to get Sheppard back?"

Lorne moved to her side and touched her hand, trying to reassure her in much the same way that Teyla had. "We're working on it. You need to sit tight and get better."

She stared at him, trying to reconcile this brotherly behavior with her admittedly skewed perception of him all those years ago. "Would you have let a few cuts and bruises keep you from rescuing Anna from Nephthys?"

He squeezed her hand and straightened. "No."

"Then, I won't let them keep me from helping you get Sheppard back." She turned to Weir. "I'm an expert at hand-to-hand combat, and I am certified with firearms although I don't tend to carry them. I'm good for this mission. And I'll have myself pulled together by the time we have a plan."

Ronon sat up, finally released to go about his day. "I'll vouch for her. She's good."

Weir considered the three of them. "I'll allow you to go on the mission to rescue Sheppard. But we need more intel first. Colonel Lorne, lead a team back to the planet where Sheppard made the exchange. Gather what intelligence you can and report back."

Lorne nodded. "Yes, ma'am." He turned to Rachel and Ronon. "You two are staying here until I get back. By the time we find the information we need, you should be good to go."

Rachel accepted that even though Ronon glared. It didn't matter. She had just been cleared for off-world duty. As she lay back in the bed, she replayed John's words just before Daniels shoved her through the gate. _I'll be back. I promise._ She let out a deep breath and whispered, "I'm holding you to that promise, John. Hang on until we get there."

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Lorne stared at the warehouse and narrowed his eyes. The place looked abandoned. Not that he was terribly surprised. If this version of Kolya thought like the original, he would have taken Sheppard to a different location immediately. But someone still occupied this place, as evidenced by the guards circling the perimeter. One of them had to have some intel.

Lorne turned to Teyla and his men, silently motioning them into place. At his nod, they rushed the sleepy guards and managed to take them down quietly. Two down. No idea how many to go. Moving past the perimeter guard, the team stayed low and kept to the shadows. They had no desire to alert the warehouse's inhabitants to their presence. Inside, they encountered minimal resistance, the only shooting coming from two guards flanking a burly man with stringy hair.

Lorne stared at the man after his people dispatched the guards. "We have you surrounded, and your guards are incapacitated or dead. Come with us quietly, and you won't be harmed."

The man laughed and raised his hands, mockingly saying, "Don't kill me. I'll do whatever you want."

Lorne pulled some zip-tie cuffs from his pocket. "Yeah, I bet you will," he muttered sarcastically. He tightened the cuffs and pushed the guy toward the door. "Let's go."

Back on Atlantis, the prisoner took up residence in the brig while Weir called a meeting. She sat them down and asked exactly how they intended to get Sheppard's location from a man who seemed to be less than forthcoming.

Lorne listened to her objections before quietly speaking, "With all due respect, ma'am, we are missing a key member of this expedition. With recent events, the loss of Colonel Sheppard will demoralize the troops. We cannot let that happen."

"Are you advocating torture?"

"Not necessarily." Lorne shrugged. "There are other interrogation techniques that are every bit as effective."

Ronon leaned forward. "But not as quick."

"No," Lorne admitted. "But they're a little more humane."

Weir broke into the men's staring match. "And who would do this?" She glanced around. "What would be the purpose? You're talking about physically harming someone who may or may not know Sheppard's true location. What happens if his information is false or outdated? Do we just capture another one of Kolya's soldiers and do the same thing?"

Lorne listened, having considered all these ramifications for himself. His mind had whirled ever since finding the soldier. It had been too easy. Almost as if Kolya wanted the man captured. He said as much. "Any intel we get from him will be skewed or false. We can count on that."

Weir stared at her hands and shook her head. "I don't like it."

Before anyone could respond, the doors to the briefing room opened. McKay stepped inside. "Hmmm. You're all back."

Lorne sat back in his chair. "Don't sound so surprised, McKay. We live here."

"What? No, I meant that I didn't know you were back yet. How'd the mission go?"

Ronon glared at Lorne again. "Fine."

McKay took him at his word and handed a tablet to Weir. "I thought you should see this." He glanced around. "We managed to get the sensors back online. We now have life signs showing all over the city, as well as that."

"What is this?"

"A ship hovering momentarily just outside of the solar system." McKay rocked back on his heels. "It was visible for only a moment before entering hyperspace, but it seems that the sensors picked it up and stored it in their logs. Wait. I know what you're going to ask. Why didn't we see it? Because it's been cloaked until Daniels made his move and kidnapped Rachel. Look at the time stamp. It decloaked and entered hyperspace approximately ten hours after Rachel's abduction. Given its stationary location, I'd say it's a good bet that Daniels knows whoever commands that ship. And, if they know where Atlantis is. . . ."

Lorne nodded. "They're coming back."

"Probably," McKay muttered.

Weir frowned at the scientist. "Where are we at with the cloak and shield?"

"Nowhere near close." McKay waved a hand. "The power grid is a mess. Good news is that we've found a way to circumvent the virus until Zelenka can get it eradicated from the systems. He's working on that as we speak."

Ronon sat forward again, this time with his aggression barely in check. "We don't have time to speculate." He turned to Weir. "That man in the brig clearly knows where that ship went and why they were here. Atlantis is vulnerable, and someone needs to find out the information we need to protect ourselves. It's more than just the location of one man, now."

Lorne considered his words, knowing that he was right. "Dr. Weir, I'll do it. You're not ordering it, and I'll let you know what I find out."

Before Weir could speak, Ronon stood. "No, I'll do it." He turned to Lorne. "You can watch and ask questions."

Weir looked up, seeing the expressions on their faces. After a long moment, she nodded. "Okay."

Lorne didn't wait for her to dismiss the meeting. He rose and left the briefing room immediately behind Ronon. This step would likely haunt him for the rest of his life, but he couldn't get out of it. The people of Atlantis needed that information, and the prisoner likely wouldn't give it to them any other way. He spoke briefly with Ronon, asking for a few moments to speak to the man civilly. Then, if the prisoner refused, Ronon had his permission to proceed. The Satedan barely agreed before they arrived at the brig.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Her office had seen better days. Rachel stood in the mess, seeing signs that someone had tried to clean up a few things. The door to the balcony was closed, and her photographs lined her desk. Her guitars stood on their stands. She set about righting chairs and sweeping glass into piles. When the Daniels's drug started taking effect, she'd thrown everything her hand encountered at him. It gave him a moment's pause before he hit her with enough force to knock her unconscious.

The door opened, and she whirled. Lorne held up his hands. "Whoa, Doc. Just me."

Rachel relaxed a bit. "Colonel. Any news?"

"Yeah, a little." He moved to one of the chairs she'd pushed against the wall and propped his hip on it. "How are you?"

"Worried." She straightened and stared out the windows. "I mean, I feel fine. All the drugs are finally out of my system, and I'm going to make a full recovery. After all, I've taken a few punches before. But I have this sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. It reminds me of the day my husband died. After the police left my office, I just lost it. Then, this feeling set in."

Lorne nodded. "I know what you mean. I felt that way when Anna turned herself over to Nephthys."

Rachel stared at him and saw the tension on his face. "What happened?"

He shrugged. "Ronon and I interrogated the prisoner."

"Right." She nodded, understanding the unspoken statement. Ronon didn't "interrogate." He asked questions and, when the person didn't answer, knocked them on their behind. "How bad did it get?"

"Oh, let's just say I don't want to get on Ronon's bad side." Lorne grinned momentarily and then sobered. "We're going to get him back."

She nodded, feeling the tears getting close to the surface. "I know. I just wonder. . . ."

"Yeah, me too."

They stayed quiet for a time, and Rachel appreciated Lorne's silence. It gave her time to think. After all these years, she found herself in the same room with the man she once thought she loved, perfectly content to merely talk to him. She truly harbored no feelings for him other than sincere friendship. That revelation alone relieved some of the tension she'd felt since coming back to Atlantis.

After a few minutes, Lorne stood. "We've got a go from Weir for the mission. You ready?"

Rachel turned and set aside the broom she'd been using. "Yes." As she followed him from the office, she let out a deep sigh of relief. If only finding Sheppard would be as easy as letting the past be the past.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Daniels stood on the bridge of the ship, admiring the transparent dome. Men and women worked the various stations, and he walked forward. "Captain on deck!"

The call brought everyone to their feet, and he grinned. "As you were." Ever since he was a small boy, he'd dreamed of hearing those words. He never thought he'd get the chance. Yet, here he was. Commander of his own space ship. Granted, he didn't own the ship, and the Boss had a specific purpose for it. But he would command this vessel until such time as he took control of Atlantis.

Sitting reverently in the captain's chair, he turned to the navigator. "Set a course for the rendezvous point."

"Aye, sir." The man eyed him while following the order.

Daniels sat back in the chair. Yes, this was where he belonged. This was the realization of all of his dreams. At the helm of this warship, he would take advantage of Atlantis's weaknesses-namely, her lack of shields-and lay waste to the men and women who had destroyed his life so many years ago.

~TBC


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

_Sheppard stood in the desert, staring at the sky as the hot wind blew past his face. Without warning, the wind disappeared He looked to the sky and wondered at the eerie silence. Why had the wind died so suddenly? Had the sun suddenly become hotter?_

_Sheppard groaned and shielded his eyes as the sky lightened to an unnatural brightness. The temperature rose, setting every cell in his body on fire. A cloud, mushroom-shaped, blocked out the sun, and he shouted as the radiation engulfed him._

Sheppard blinked at the ceiling above him. Rather than brilliant light, a dim bulb seemed to sway above him. He breathed deeply, trying to calm his racing heart, and realized that his own shout had awakened him. The pain slammed into him again, and he gritted his teeth together as his body shook. The beating he'd taken at the start of this whole ordeal cracked a few ribs and left him with a concussion. But this was different. Every cell in his body flamed and made him want to writhe in pain. The bonds at his wrists and ankles kept that from happening.

A soft laugh drew his attention to someone at the side of his bed. Kolya turned from a work table, a silver hypospray in his hands. "Don't mind the pain. It's a side effect."

"Of what?" Sheppard managed to ask.

"Oh, there's no need to worry about that." Kolya set the hypospray on the table. "I'm not entirely sure what it'll do to you, but I'm sure it won't kill you. Me, on the other hand? Let's just say I have to stay away from it."

"Yeah?" Sheppard tried to draw in a deep breath and let it out quickly when his ribs shifted. "Tried it before?"

"No." Kolya tucked his thumbs in his belt. "But my creators tried it on previous incarnations. They thought they'd made a mistake in replicating the genetic code required for cloning. They actually poisoned my predecessors with this drug. As a result, I grew curious about it and figured I had the perfect chance to see what it does."

"Oh." Sheppard nodded and let his head fall back onto the bed. The shooting pain had dulled ever so slightly. He stared at the ceiling. He had to get out of this. Rachel waited for him back on Atlantis.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Rachel crouched behind a tree and watched for Lorne's signal. They had walked through dense forest for the better part of an hour, following a trail that Ronon blazed. The Satedan's determination to find Sheppard rivaled her own. She followed without complaint, knowing that Dr. Weir had barely allowed her to come.

McKay, however, had stayed behind on Atlantis. That explosive argument ended only when Ronon told McKay to shut up and do what he was told. As much as McKay wanted to be on this mission, Atlantis needed him more. He was close to cracking the virus that left the city vulnerable to attack.

The walk from the Jumper actually felt good. Rachel rolled her neck, trying to loosen the muscles for the fight to come. Lorne had allowed her to join Ronon, Teyla, and him in the front of the Jumper, leaving the back for the rest of his team and the Marines that accompanied them. Every person in that Jumper had decided that they would get Sheppard back or die trying. After being cooped up for hours with all the testosterone, it felt good to stretch her muscles and breathe.

Lorne caught the eye of every person with him and used hand signals to give them their assignment. No guard stood on the outside of the warehouse, and a flight over it in a cloaked Jumper confirmed that a network of underground tunnels crisscrossed the area. The single warehouse must be the entry point, and the lack of a guard surprised Rachel. Of course, this planet had no Stargate, requiring the lengthy flight from another planet in the solar system. Perhaps Kolya didn't expect them to mount a rescue mission. Rachel grinned as she accepted Lorne's order to follow Ronon and stay back. This Kolya was bound for a very rude awakening.

Rachel stayed close to Ronon during the dash to the door, noting how the other men lined up behind her and Teyla. At the door, Lorne and Ronon pulled a couple of flash bang grenades from their pockets. Lorne silently counted to three, and the two men tossed the grenades inside. Chaos erupted.

Rachel didn't think. She went on autopilot, ducking through the door and shooting the guard that rushed her. It was not the first time she'd ever harmed another individual, nor was it the first time that she'd fired a weapon. As the man fell, she stepped over him to face the next guard. And the next. And the next. The place literally crawled with them, but they eventually quit coming. Standing in the middle of the bodies, seeing several Marines who had been wounded, the impact of what she'd just done hit her. She doubled over, bracing her hands on her knees.

Ronon moved to her side and touched her shoulder. "Shake it off."

Rachel nodded. "Working on it." A moment later, she convinced her stomach to stay in place, and she straightened. "I'm okay."

Something in her face must have convinced him because he began scouting the perimeter. The warehouse looked exactly as it should: crates stacked in various piles, barrels lined the walls, and an office to the side. Ronon ducked inside, clearing the room in one quick move. Rachel began moving around, trying to get away from the bodies at her feet. Lorne warned her not to go far, and she acknowledged him with a nod.

"In here." Ronon's voice came from the office. Rachel followed Lorne and Teyla, leaving the Marines to set up a perimeter. Inside the office, Ronon stood outside what appeared to be a closet door. The back of the closet pushed away, revealing the entrance into the subterranean tunnels.

Lorne returned to the Marines. "We're heading down. Set up a perimeter and wait for my signal that we're coming out. Also, set charges in this room. I don't want to fight our way to the Jumper."

The Marine captain nodded. "Yes, Sir."

Ronon led the way down the stairs, with Lorne covering their six. Rachel walked behind Ronon, feeling the air cool as they went further into the caverns. The walls changed from wood and metal to carved stone with lanterns forced into crevices. The cool air calmed her nerves and cleared her head. More blood would be shed before the day ended, and she determined that she'd make it out alive. And whole. With Sheppard back on Atlantis, she'd be able to deal with the fallout of her actions today. Without him, she wasn't sure she'd even crawl out of bed in the morning.

More guards interrupted her thoughts, but Ronon took them out with several quick blasts of that big gun he always carried. Rachel idly wondered how he'd managed to find the power cells it required, but he'd obviously had no problems.

Lorne moved around her and checked the bodies. "These are some of the Jeneb colonists." He looked around. "I guess we know who attacked them."

Teyla glanced over from her position covering their six. "But why? What reason would Kolya have for attacking and kidnapping entire colonies? He only does such things when it is a tactical advantage."

Lorne shrugged. "Maybe it is. All these men are fighters. They survived in harsh climates and forged out existences. Maybe that's what he needed since the Genii are no longer around."

"Or," Rachel added, "he couldn't go back to the Genii. Just because you haven't heard from them in years doesn't mean they're not around. Besides, this isn't really Kolya. From what I understand, this is Kolya's clone. It's possible that he's not thinking as clearly. Or that he's trying to think unlike his predecessor to throw us off the trail."

"Maybe." Lorne stood and nodded toward the tunnel. "Let's keep moving."

They came across two more roving patrols, but the underground facility seemed largely unprotected. Rachel wondered why and figured that Kolya was arrogant enough to think his facility could not be breached. He would soon discover that the Lanteans didn't take "no" for an answer when circumstances involved one of their own.

After several tunnels, too many labs to remember, and a couple of minor firefights, Ronon led them down a dead end. At the end of the tunnel, two men stood guard at a door. He and Lorne communicated silently, and the two of them coordinated their attack to take out the guards. A shout came from the door, and Rachel rushed it as Ronon used his blaster to unlock it.

Sheppard lay strapped to a hospital bed in what appeared to be a surgical suite. Tables of instruments and various drugs lined the walls, but Rachel ignored them. As soon as Ronon nodded that the room was clear, she rushed to Sheppard's side and touched his shoulder. He shouted, this time in agony, and she snatched her hand away. "I'm sorry!"

"Not your fault," he said between gritted teeth. Lorne guarded the door as Teyla and Ronon worked to free him. His arms and legs jerked away from the smallest touch. "He injected me with something. Set my body on fire."

Rachel stood next to the bed, hands hovering over him. She wanted to wipe the sweat from his forehead and help him stand, but she refused to cause him more pain. As soon as the restraints fell away, however, he reached for her arm. Ronon stood on the other side, helping him stand in spite of the agony it clearly cost him.

Lorne moved away from the door quickly. "We gotta go. Now. Kolya's coming, and he's got several guards with him."

Rachel whirled. "How many?"

"Five."

Sheppard straightened, using Rachel's shoulder to gain his balance. "We're not going anywhere until I kill him." His tone warned them not to argue.

A moment later, Kolya appeared in the doorway. "Well, well, well." He tucked his thumbs in his belt. "Isn't this a touching scene."

Sheppard finally gained his balance. "This is between you and me, Kolya."

"Oh, I know it is." Kolya swaggered into the room. "The problem, however, is that your friends have killed quite a few of my men. They're going to have to answer to that."

Ronon grinned. "Let 'em come. I'll kill them just like I killed others."

"No!" Sheppard said. "Here's the deal, Kolya. This is between you and me. You let the others go." He raised his hand to stop Rachel, Teyla, and Ronon from commenting. "No questions asked."

Kolya laughed. "You really think you can take me on? I've got the memories of your archenemy, not to mention the genetic advancements born from research into Michael and your own Dr. Lorne's works. I'm stronger and faster than you."

Sheppard nodded. "Good to know." He charged Kolya, leaving Rachel near the bed in shock. Kolya neatly sidestepped the charge, and Sheppard crashed into one of the tables against the wall. He came up with a scalpel in his hand and swayed slightly as Kolya stood unharmed.

Rachel backed away from the fight, taking a position between Lorne and Ronon. Somewhere during her time on Atlantis, those two men became the older brothers she needed. Their presence calmed her slightly as she watched Sheppard sway in front of Kolya.

The two men circled, and it took Sheppard ten minutes to lay a hand on Kolya. By then, he'd taken several blows to the face and one to his ribs. As he doubled over, he tightened his grip on the scalpel. He moved without warning and sliced the scalpel through Kolya's hand. The clone roared in pain and punched Sheppard. The blow sent him into the table with various drugs and needles scattered across it. He clung to the edge of the table, his hand shaking as he sorted through the unnamed chemicals.

Kolya grabbed Sheppard by the back of his shirt and threw him across the room. He followed, intent on beating Sheppard to a pulp as he lay defenseless on the floor. Rachel raised her weapon, but Ronon stopped her. As Sheppard groaned in agony, he jabbed jabbed a silver hypospray into Kolya's neck. Kolya fell back, shouting again as the chemical entered his bloodstream. Sheppard pushed himself to his feet. "Hurts, doesn't it?"

Kolya glared but did nothing as he went into convulsions. Sheppard staggered, and Rachel rushed forward as Lorne and Ronon took out the men guarding the door. Teyla moved to Sheppard's other side, but he ignored the two women for just a moment. He stood over Kolya as the convulsions stopped, and his face cleared of anything save exhaustion as Kolya breathed his last.

Sheppard looked at Rachel. "You were supposed to go home and stay there."

She tried to smile at him. "You were supposed to come back."

"I was working on it," he said defensively. His legs gave out then, and he collapsed. Rachel managed to catch him, and he grinned as she lowered him to the ground. "That last punch hurt a bit."

Ronon appeared at his side. "Sorry about this, buddy. But we have to keep moving." He bent and picked Sheppard up in a fireman's hold. Sheppard groaned but didn't object.

Lorne stood next to the door. "Okay, let's move!"

They fought their way out. News of Kolya's death spread through the compound, and men in groups of three kept trying to block them. With Ronon carrying Sheppard, Rachel guarded their six as Lorne and Teyla cleared the path to the warehouse. Once out of the tunnels, they rushed around the crates and barrels, meeting up with the Marines waiting for them. They ran out of the warehouse and into the woods.

Lorne turned as they entered the trees. "Light it up!" The warehouse exploded, and the ground bucked slightly from the shock wave. Rachel wanted to glance back, but Ronon kept running forward with Sheppard over his shoulder. She chose to keep her eyes on him and on the prize: getting to the Jumper.

Once in the Jumper, she pulled the medical kit from its place and settled beside Sheppard. She could do very little about the drugs running through his system, but she could treat the cuts on his face and hands. He groaned as Ronon deposited him in the seat and looked over at her. "Thanks for coming for me."

Rachel smiled. "Like I'd want to be anywhere else."

Sheppard nodded and, mercifully, passed out.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

The ship dropped out of hyperspace at the rendezvous point, and Daniels rose from the captain's chair as a ship much like his own de-cloaked in front of him. He smiled at the sight. It must be amazing to see these things in action. He'd get the chance. From this chair, he'd watch the destruction of Atlantis. Then, from the control room, he'd watch his people rebuild the city under his command.

"Sir, we're receiving a hail."

Daniels turned toward his communications officer. "Let's see it."

As before, the Boss kept herself in the shadows. "Are you prepared?"

"I am."

"Good." She nodded, her smile sounding in her voice. "Be ready for a fight. I've just received word that our laboratory has been compromised. No doubt the Lanteans are attempting to free their colonel and destroy our plans. But, with your soldiers, you should be able to subdue them with little effort."

"I don't see a problem." Daniels crossed his arms. "I lived among them for weeks, and I know their strategies. I'll destroy them."

"Good." The transmission ended, and the other ship disappeared.

Daniels returned to his seat and grinned at no on in particular. He was less than a day's flight in hyperspace from the edge of the Lantean system. With the ship's cloak, he'd creep up on them and strike them down before they knew what hit them. A laugh started in the back of his throat and made his officers glance at him uneasily. Yes, the time for revenge had come.

~TBC


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

"Okay, that's it!" McKay shouted.

Lorne entered the control room. "What's it?" He had flown the Jumper through the Stargate moments ago, seeing the activity in the control room as the Jumper maneuvered its way into the bay. Beckett met them, and Ronon dumped Sheppard onto a gurney. Rachel followed the group to the infirmary.

McKay looked up. "Oh, you're back."

"Yeah, McKay. We're back. Didn't you see the Jumper come through the gate?" Lorne asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, I did. I just wasn't. . . ."

Lorne held up a hand to stop his sheepish words. "What's going on?"

"We're about to eradicated the virus." McKay recovered and began babbling. "Zelenka and I have managed to isolate the virus inside of several firewalls. It's not like the Wraith virus all those years ago where it just uploads itself onto any available computer. This one stayed put in the city's systems. Those systems are so complicated, however, that it took us this long to isolate it. Now, we're doing a full system shutdown to eradicate it."

Lorne blinked. "Like a hard reset?"

"No-Well, yes, like that." McKay stared at him.

"Well, will we have shields or the cloak?" Lorne folded his arms across his chest, ignoring the TAC vest he still wore and the fatigue making him cranky.

"No." McKay went back to his computer. "The virus managed to rewrite some of the system's protocols for the cloak and shield. I'll have to rewrite them in order to get the cloak or shield operational. It seems that this was the purpose all along. That, and the fact that we lost sensors."

"So, Daniels did this to deliver us up on a silver platter?" Lorne rubbed his eyes.

"Yes, it appears so."

Lorne patted McKay's shoulder, the friendship between the two men having grown in the years they'd known each other. "Just keep working on it."

McKay waved a hand dismissively, and Lorne left him to work. He needed to check in with Weir and Anna, anyway. His wife worried no matter how many times he went off world, and Dr. Weir needed to know that Sheppard had arrived home alive.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

As the lights went out, Rachel stood next to the hospital bed, staring at Sheppard's face. The cuts and bruises had been cleaned, and he slept peacefully. He'd awakened shortly after arriving in the infirmary, but Beckett had given him a mild sedative. Now, she wished he'd just wake up. She wanted to see those hazel eyes and tell him that she was okay.

Rachel clenched her hands in front of her body, unsure of what to do. At any other time, she would have held his hand or laid a hand on his shoulder. His reaction last time discouraged her. She knew he hadn't meant to startle her, but seeing him in such pain had shaken her courage a little.

She chose the easy route and ran her fingers through the hair that fell over his forehead. Sheppard's hair always looked like he'd awakened and went directly to work, but she knew better. Years ago, people had commented on his messy hairstyle, and it had become something of a signature style for him.

The lights came back on, and he smiled as her fingers moved through his hair. "I was wonderin' how long you were going to stand there."

Rachel jerked her hand back and looked for a chair. "Sorry I woke you."

"Wasn't really sleeping." He opened his eyes and pushed himself up in the bed, the sedatives making him slightly woozy. "Whatever Beckett gave me was good. I feel no pain."

She grinned. "He said you were going to feel like that for a while."

"So, what's the prognosis?" He waved a hand over his body. "Am I going to live?"

"You'll live." She propped her elbows on the edge of the bed. "Dr. Beckett isn't sure what those drugs will do to you as your body breaks them down, so he's keeping you here for observation. Other than that, it's a concussion, a couple broken ribs, and cuts and bruises. From what he said, you're lucky."

Sheppard chuckled and winced, his hand going to his ribs. "Yeah, lucky." He eyed her, seeing the uniform she wore and the TAC vest tossed over the chair. "You went on a mission?"

"Yeah, and you're home safely."

"I said I was working on it."

"And I decided to come help." She stared at him. "Is there anything wrong with that?"

He turned the full force of his attention to her. "No, I guess not." For a moment, he simply looked at her. "You know, Nadia's no longer in the picture."

Rachel looked away from him and blushed. "You shouldn't have broken things off simply for me."

"It was for me." He shrugged. "That, and the fact that she was helping Daniels all along. I arrested her shortly before Kolya contacted us."

"I'm sorry, John."

"Don't be. She wasn't worth the time." He scowled. "That sounded cold."

Rachel grinned. "I think I understand what you meant."

"Oh." He looked at her again, seeming to memorize her face. "Good."

She stared, trying to understand the emotions flickering across his face. Sheppard rarely allowed anything extremely personal to escape his façade, and these emotions bordered on desperate. "What happened while I was gone?"

He looked down at his hands and then back at her. "I thought I'd lost you."

Rachel smiled, her face heating under the intensity of his gaze. She would have moved closer, but the door to the infirmary opened. Weir, Lorne, and McKay entered the room and made a beeline for them in spite of Beckett's protests. Rachel stood, feeling compelled to react with military protocol in spite of the fact that she had never served in any sort of army. "What's going on?"

Weir stepped to Sheppard's side. "We've managed to eliminate the virus, but we have a bigger problem." She turned to John. "There's a ship bearing down on our position, and we're unable to raise the shield or cloak the city."

Sheppard nodded. "Deploy the Jumpers."

McKay considered that for a moment. "That would provide a distraction, but it wouldn't give us enough time to rewrite the system's protocols to raise the shield. We'd still be sitting ducks."

Sheppard pushed himself to a better sitting position, wincing as the movement jostled his ribs. "I know that, McKay. Deploy the Jumpers as a defense for the city. I'll man the chair."

Beckett shook his head. "I think not."

"What about surgical strike?" Rachel asked. "We could use their overconfidence to get on board in a cloaked Jumper and disable the ship from the inside."

McKay stared at her. "That's crazy, but it just might work."

Sheppard swung his legs over the side of the bed, his bare feet dangling. "Give me ten minutes. I'll be ready."

Before Beckett could respond, Rachel pushed him back into the bed. "No, you won't. _I'll_ go."

Sheppard glared at her. "No, you won't."

As if he hadn't spoken, Lorne nodded. "Get your gear, Doc. I'll meet you in the Jumper bay in ten minutes."

The three left them alone, clearly seeing the tension sparking as they frowned at each other. Rachel held Sheppard's gaze. "I'm just as stubborn as you are."

"You're _not_ going on this mission."

"And you are?" She motioned to the bed where he still sat. "At any other time, I would not have been able to restrain you, and I pushed you back into that bed with one hand. You're in no condition to go marching around an alien ship. I'll go instead. Besides, you heard Lorne. He didn't question me."

He opened his mouth as if to protest and then let out a deep breath. "Just come home."

She smiled and ran her hand through his hair, allowing it to linger on his cheek. "I promise."

He watched her as she left the infirmary, and Rachel considered the changes in their relationship. Her abduction and his ordeal with Kolya had changed many things. When this entire problem ended, she would pin him down and make him tell her exactly what went through that stubborn head of his.

SGA SGA SGA SGA

Several hours later, Rachel sat in the Jumper as McKay poked at his tablet. They had reached the alien ship and waited for the opportunity to sneak aboard. McKay originally thought he could hack the ship's systems, opening the bay doors remotely. That proved more difficult that he'd imagined.

An alarm sounded, and Lorne sat up straight. "Doc?"

Both Rachel and McKay looked up. The bay doors opened on their own, and a Jumper exited right beside them, cloaking as it left the ship. Lorne piloted their Jumper inside and landed silently. The bay looked abandoned from their perspective, and Rachel whispered a quick prayer that this mission would go as planned.

Lorne pushed away from the controls of the Jumper and checked his weapons. "Remember. This is a stealth mission. Incapacitate the crew, discover who's behind this, and capture the ship. If we can do that without drawing attention to ourselves, then we're good. If not, do what you need to do to get back here. We'll think of something on Atlantis." He glanced around, seeing the sober faces. "Let's go."

The group moved out of the Jumper, cautiously running toward the wall. Ronon scouted the path ahead and nodded that the way was clear. They encountered minimal resistance as they moved, and those they did encounter were easily subdued by Ronon's blaster. Rachel held her sidearm, silencer making the barrel longer. She hated the thought of using it against another person. But what was one more death today? This was war, and the people on this ship were the enemy. If she remembered that, she'd do well.

Ronon froze. "McKay!"

Rachel looked around the big guy and saw a computer terminal. McKay hurried to access it, muttering something about access codes and identities. Teyla took up a defensive position behind him, and Rachel followed Lorne and Ronon through the rest of the ship. The fighting intensified as they reached the bridge, and Rachel no longer had any time to think about what she did as she fired her weapon. Her clip emptied, and she pulled a new one from a pouch attached to her belt.

By the time they reached the bridge, only Daniels remained. The rest of his skeleton crew had been stunned, knocked out, or killed. He stood in front of a chair, staring out the domed window. New Lantea with its blue and green splotches and swirled clouds grew closer by the minute. Daniels turned, his grin widening as he eyed them. "What? No army?"

Lorne and Ronon moved to flank him, leaving Rachel in the center of his attention. She glared. "Let's see how well you fight now that the odds are a little more even."

Daniels grinned again, his chin lifting. "Bring it on."

Ronon took the invitation literally and charged the man. With Daniels distracted, Lorne moved in from behind. Rachel stood by the door, content to watch the brawl. She had no desire to wind up on her back as the result of Ronon's elbow. She'd experienced that once.

Daniels pushed Lorne away from him and focused on Ronon. When Lorne returned to the fight, Daniels kicked Ronon away and landed a powerful punch directly in Lorne's face. The colonel dropped like dead weight. Rachel circled the room and managed to grab Lorne's arm to pull him out of the way. He already showed signs of waking soon, and she left him alone while she joined Ronon in the fight.

Daniels fought like a wild animal. Ronon and Rachel, however, had trained together. Ronon knew when to back away while Rachel landed a roundhouse kick, and Rachel recognized Ronon's lead into his signature flying punch. Unfortunately for both of them, Daniels had watched them spar, and he correctly interpreted the unspoken signals passing between them. With a quick move, he grabbed Rachel's arm as she tried to punch him, wrenching her around to face Ronon, a knife at her throat. She vaguely wondered where he'd hidden the knife as Ronon stopped in his tracks.

"That's right." Daniels laughed. "Stop. Just like you always do. Wouldn't want to hurt Sheppard's woman, right?"

Rachel tried to wiggle in his hold. "I'm no one's woman."

Daniels tugged her toward the door. "Yes, you are." He chuckled again. "See, years ago, I had the utmost respect for Sheppard. He was my CO. He controlled my life. Then, one day, I followed Sheppard into a fight we couldn't win. A Wraith hive had come for New Athos, and we were tasked with defending the planet. Sheppard took a Jumper on board while I evacuated as many people as possible. Then, I was supposed to follow in the second Jumper. Sheppard ordered me to the hive, and I was shot down. Amazingly, I survived the crash and managed to crawl to a safe distance. I waited for days. No one came. No one cared. _You_ didn't care enough to come for me!" He readjusted his hold so that he could break Rachel's neck with one quick move. "Sheppard doesn't deserve life. He talks about not leaving people behind, but he left me to die."

Ronon glared at him. "You're insane. We searched that planet for you for weeks. Sheppard refused to call of the search until we found your dog tags next on a skeleton. We didn't leave you behind. You died."

"Apparently not! I'm here right now!" Daniels twitched slightly when Ronon tried to approach. "Don't! I'll kill her!"

A single gunshot sounded, and Daniels's head jerked to the side. Rachel fell backward with him as his grip loosened. She managed to roll so that she didn't land on him. A quick glance told her that he was dead. She turned. Lorne lowered his sidearm and slumped against the wall.

Ronon moved to the colonel's side. "Nice of you to help."

"Glad to be of service." Lorne waved off the Satedan's offer of help and pulled himself to his feet. He moved shakily to the command chair and dropped his weight into it. A moment later, he touched a button. His voice echoed through the ship as he spoke. "This is Colonel Evan Lorne of Atlantis. This ship is now under my command. Surrender yourselves and your weapons, and your lives will be spared. Resist, and we will meet you with force."

Rachel stared at the man she once thought she loved. While she appreciated him, she now thought of him as a brother, as the man who had saved her life and made sure she could fight for her friends and family. The man she truly loved-John Sheppard-waited back on Atlantis, hopefully sleeping off the effects of Kolya's drug cocktail. She couldn't wait to get back to his side.

In the command chair, Lorne opened another channel. "Atlantis, this is Lorne. Be advised we're bringing our new ship home."

"Understood." Weir's voice filled the bridge. "Well done, Colonel."

Lorne slouched into the chair, all strength leaving his body as he stared out the front window. Rachel grinned. She was going home, and her ride could not have been better.

~TBC


	20. Epilogue

**Author's Note:** This story is quite the landmark for me. I have been writing for many years, but this is the first sequel I've ever successfully finished. Thank you to all of you who reviewed, asked questions, and kept me writing. At times, I felt like these characters strapped me to a rollercoaster and took me on a ride that I didn't want! But, it was a fun experience, and I'm looking forward to getting the third story in the Lantean Symphony written. ~lg

**Author's Note 6-27-2012:** As evidenced by my long hiatus from this series, I have no intention of ever returning to it. I cannot say why I lost interest in the third story, and I sincerely apologize to those of you who were waiting for "Atlantis Postlude" to be completed. I will gladly tell you the overview of the story in a PM, but I am afraid that, due to RL, it will not be written at this time. As a result, I have rewritten this final chapter to hopefully bring this story to a satisfying conclusion. Thank you for your understanding and for reading! ~lg

Epilogue

Most of the people aboard the ship surrendered without a fight. A few refused to surrender their arms, and Rachel gratefully stayed with Lorne as Ronon and Teyla cleared the decks. By the time the ship entered orbit over Atlantis, the four-man strike team commanded the massive ship. In spite of his exhaustion and injuries, Lorne's eyes sparkled at the thought of an exploratory ship to send into the Pegasus galaxy.

Back on Atlantis, Rachel rushed through her post-mission physical. She sported several new bruises now, not to mention a tiny cut on her neck where Daniels had nicked her with the knife. When Ronon mentioned how strong and powerful Daniels had been, Beckett insisted on doing a full autopsy. Lorne merely lay on a hospital bed and allowed his wife to hover over him and hold his hand. Rachel knew from experience that it would take some time for the headache to fade. After her physical, she touched Anna on the shoulder and left the infirmary for a shower.

Sheppard slept through their return, the Kolya's drug cocktail breaking down in his system and inducing an almost comatose state. As soon as Rachel showered, she took up a post beside his bed and tried not to cry. She'd never seen Sheppard appear so weak. Beckett assured her that this was a good thing. Sheppard had been thoroughly exhausted before turning himself over to Kolya. Rather than dwelling on what Kolya had done, she held Sheppard's hand and laid her head on the bed. Within minutes, she fell asleep.

Fingers running through her hair woke her. Rachel blinked the grit from her eyes, taking an inordinate amount of time to wake up. When she did, Sheppard grinned. "Look who's awake."

She smiled. "I could say the same thing about you." Her gaze traveled the quiet infirmary. "What time is it?"

"About two in the morning." Sheppard nodded to his left. "You're not the only one keeping watch."

Rachel followed his gaze to the hospital bed where Lorne slept, likely knocked out by Beckett's all-powerful drugs. Anna slouched in the chair next to him, book open on her lap and head propped on the wall behind her. Rachel shook her head. "He saved my life."

"Remind me to thank him in the morning." Sheppard sobered. "What happened up there?"

Rachel told him the story of their strike against Daniels, sparing no detail even though she wanted to save him the images of Daniels with a knife at her throat. "It's still kind of surreal in my mind."

"I can imagine."

"I kind of enjoyed it." She frowned. "Well, the part about carrying a weapon and killing people wasn't fun, but it was quite an adrenaline rush."

Sheppard grinned. "Now you understand our frustration when we're restricted to base."

"Yeah, I guess I do." She felt her grin slip from her face and decided to be brutally honest with him. "I thought I lost you out there."

"I'm not that easy to kill." At her pained look, he reached for her hand. "Look, I'm not good with feelings, but there's something you should know. I would _never_ allow anyone to hurt you. Not if it's in my power. You're too special."

Seeing that he wanted to say more, Rachel squeezed his hand. "Not here. You can tell me everything when you get out of here. Deal?"

"Deal." He laid his head back and closed his eyes. "Now, tell me about this ship."

Rachel complied and spent the next two hours telling him every detail she could remember about the ship that Lorne had commandeered for Atlantis. She even told him about Rodney's excitement over the combination between Wraith, human, and Ancient technology. It seemed that the ship was a hybrid in the truest sense of the word, a combination of the best that each technology had to offer.

The next morning, Rachel slipped away long enough to get some breakfast and take another shower. After sleeping in the chair, she felt less than rested, but Sheppard had been there when she awoke, making up for any lack of sleep she might have suffered. When she returned, Sheppard's team, Weir, Lorne, Anna, and Beckett had gathered around his bed. She slipped into the group beside Anna, and Ronon caught sight of her. Rather than ignoring her, like he should have done, he moved aside and allowed her to step to the front.

Beckett spoke as she settled next to Sheppard. "Well, it's official. That wasn't Daniels."

Weir blinked. "Then who was it?"

"A clone." Beckett shook his head. "I didn't notice it when he broke into the Alpha Site, and whoever cloned him had serious resources at their disposal. There were signs that he wasn't the original Chris Daniels, but they were so miniscule that it took me most of the night to find them."

Sheppard shifted in his bed. "So, Daniels is likely dead? The _real_ Daniels?"

"Aye," Beckett said simply.

McKay shook his head. "Two clones in one week. Someone's been a busy boy."

"Or girl," Rachel said. Rather than glaring at her, McKay simply acknowledged her comment with a shrug. She wondered if Sheppard's insistence on holding her hand had anything to do with the scientist's refusal to argue with her. Shame. She would have enjoyed the verbal sparring session.

"Well," Weir said, "I'll let you all get back to work while I take a tour of the _Tau'ri_."

Sheppard's brow lowered. "The what?"

Weir grinned. "You're not the only person who can name things around here. It's my turn."

Sheppard nodded once. "Oh."

The group slowly filtered away, leaving Rachel and Sheppard alone. They talked for most of the day, and Rachel laughed as Sheppard told her about some of his escapades during his time in Atlantis. The following day, he bugged Beckett about leaving to the point the doctor let him out of the infirmary with a firm warning to Rachel about returning Sheppard if anything out of the ordinary happened.

As soon as they cleared the infirmary level, Sheppard tugged Rachel onto a tiny balcony. "Anything out of the ordinary?" He stared at her for a moment. "Wonder if he meant this." Without warning, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

Rachel returned the kiss, feeling the desperation in it. She pulled back a few minutes later, breathless. "I don't think Beckett meant that."

"Good." Sheppard grinned and kissed her again. This time, Rachel melted into his arms, allowing all the emotions swirling inside her to focus on one person. John Sheppard was someone to whom she could devote the entirety of her life. She returned the kiss and let him pull away first. He rested his forehead on hers. "That's nice."

"Mmm." She wondered if she'd be able to speak after that.

"Listen, about what I wanted to say earlier." He lifted his head to stare at her. "I was serious. You are special."

"So are you."

"We're not talking about me." He settled his arms around her. "I'm talking about _us_. For years, I thought there was no one in this universe who understood me. Then, you showed up and knocked me over."

Rachel grinned. "Nice image."

"It's true." He returned the grin. "I think we should explore what we have."

She tried to speak, but her emotions got the better of her. After her husband's death and the disastrous relationship a few years later, she had cut herself off from personal relationships. Somehow, she'd found one of the most honorable men waiting for her in the place that once represented her greatest embarrassment. Rather than pushing her to speak, Sheppard held her.

Finally, she pulled away. "So, how about a tour of the new ship?"

His eyes lit up, reminding her of a little boy on Christmas day, and she laughed at him. Within twenty minutes, he parked a Jumper in the hangar of the _Tau'ri_ and allowed her to lead him through the ship. Once on the bridge, he hovered over Zelenka, asking questions, pointing, and generally making a pest of himself. Rachel stood to one side, content to watch him.

An alarm sounded, and Zelenka rushed to see why. His head came up. "There's a ship coming out of hyperspace. It's the _Daedalus_."

Sheppard turned to watch the event horizon. While several hundred thousand feet separated the two ships, the _Daedalus's_ exit from hyperspace made Rachel want to back away.

A moment later, Zelenka turned. "They're hailing us."

Sheppard looked around, finally spotting the monitor. "On screen."

Caldwell appeared, flanked by Jack O'Neill and the rest of SG-1. "This is General Steven Caldwell of the Earth ship _Daedalus_. Identify-Sheppard?"

Sheppard grinned. "Good to see you, too."

"Where'd the ship come from?"

"This?" Sheppard motioned behind him, and Rachel stepped to his side. "Lorne, Rachel, Ronon, Teyla, and McKay liberated it from the bad guys and brought it home for us to use."

"I see." Caldwell glanced around. "Dr. Weir sent us to the Milky Way, looking for survivors some time ago. It took a while, but we found some of the people we were looking to find."

"I see that." Sheppard nodded to the faces on the screen. "Mitchell, Teal'c, Daniel, Vala, welcome to Atlantis."

Vala bounced from her spot beside Daniel Jackson, the years not having dulled her childlike excitement. "Thank you, Colonel."

Behind Rachel and Sheppard, that alarm sounded again. Zelenka turned. "We've got another message incoming. It's a video transmission."

Sheppard glanced at Caldwell and received a nod of understanding. "Patch it through to _Daedalus_ and Atlantis."

The screen changed, this time to the shadowy form of a woman standing in front of a light. "So, you foiled my plans."

Sheppard nodded. "You could say that."

"Don't underestimate me, Sheppard." Something in the woman's voice sounded familiar. Eerily so. "You think you stopped me by destroying my lab and raiding all my facilities. I'm a lot harder to kill than that. One day, I will return for you and your city."

Sheppard frowned. "Sorry? I'm not even sure who I'm speaking to, and you're already threatening me?"

"Forgive me. Daniels-or, rather, his clone-called me the Boss." She stepped forward, her face appearing out of the light. "You can call me Elizabeth."

Rachel blinked at the image of Elizabeth Weir dressed in black leather, her hair curling around her face. She tapped her com unit. "Atlantis, are you reading this?"

McKay's voice came over the radio link. "We are. And, before you ask, the _real_ Elizabeth is standing right next to me, as shocked as you are."

The Elizabeth on the screen laughed coldly. "Oh, I know what you're thinking. After all, I cloned the two men you recently killed. I assure you, Colonel Sheppard, I am no clone."

Sheppard continued to frown. "You're the Replicator. The one we sent through. . . ."

"Yes." She smiled. "After you sent me through that space gate, I hung there for many years. Then, a ship came by, and the humans scooped us up. They reactivated our nanite cells, and I managed to create the necessary equipment to build the appropriate body. While I am fully human, I have the nanites I need to effect repairs as necessary. That includes aging. So, while you think you've defeated me, you haven't. I'll return stronger. When I do, it won't be with clones that you can kill." The transmission ended.

Rachel stood by Sheppard, feeling the tension in his body. After a moment, he left the bridge, and she followed him. In Atlantis, Weir submitted to several tests, all of which came back negative for nanite activity. The nanites in her system had stayed inactive.

Sheppard found Rachel late that evening. He didn't speak but pulled her into his arms. Rachel let herself be held, knowing that he drew comfort from her nearness. After a long time, they sat on her office balcony, talking about their lives and their hopes for the future.

The revelation of their true enemy did not hinder their relationship or the daily life aboard Atlantis. Cameron Mitchell took command of the _Tau'ri_, and SG-1 joined him in exploring and mapping the Pegasus galaxy. A year after their defeat of the clones and Replicator Weir, Sheppard proposed to Rachel. They married in front of the Stargate, and Elizabeth performed the ceremony. Shortly thereafter, Jack O'Neill promoted Sheppard and Lorne to the rank of General. Caldwell retired completely, and the new Colonel Marks took command of the _Daedalus_.

Two years after their wedding, Rachel gave birth to Aiden Patrick Sheppard, named for Aiden Ford and John's father. As he made his appearance in the world, John watched with the same childlike wonder Rachel had seen during his tour of the _Tau'ri_. The child grew, becoming as handsome as his father and as compassionate as his mother. Years later, he announced his engagement to Elaine Lorne, causing both fathers to stare in surprise at each other. John recovered first. "Well," he said as Lorne blinked, "never thought I'd be related to _you_!"

The years passed, and Replicator Weir faded into the distant memories of the people on Atlantis. The _Tau'ri_ returned from her mission to explore the galaxy, and Atlantis again settled into the peaceful existence of peacekeeper. Jeneb grew and prospered, creating a galactic empire that relied less and less on the city of the Ancients. Over time, the Lanteans withdrew from the political affairs of the Pegasus galaxy. Many of the peoples on many of the worlds developed new technologies and armies capable of combating the Wraith. With time, their combined forces and Sheppard's team exterminated the Wraith from existence.

Three hundred years later, just weeks after the wedding of Aiden Sheppard and Elaine Lorne, McKay sat at his computer in the control room. He stared, not really doing much of anything. Sheppard watched from Elizabeth's office, noting the lack of activity around him. The years had not weakened them, but time had created a new problem: boredom. An alarm sounded, and Rodney's head popped up. "Hello? What's this?"

Sheppard strode out of the office and hovered over his shoulder. "McKay?"

"A ship just dropped out of hyperspace."

"One of ours?" Over time, the Lanteans had built several other ships.

"No." McKay frowned. "They're scanning us and-Oh!"

"Oh, what?"

"There's more than one. Hovering at the edge of the solar system." McKay's voice rose in excitement, and Sheppard understood.

He touched his com link. "Dr. Weir and General Lorne to the control room." He bent back over McKay's shoulder. "What are they doing?"

"Nothing. They're just sitting there." He frowned. "Oh, wait. We're being hailed."

"Put it on screen." Sheppard watched as the image of a dignified man with dark hair and green eyes appeared. "This is General John Sheppard of Atlantis. Please identify yourself."

The man blinked. "Atlantis? We thought you were dead."

Sheppard frowned. "Sorry?"

"My apologies." The man straightened. "I am Admiral Andrew Gaven of the Terran ship _America_. We picked up your city on our long range scans and decided to make first contact. May I beam in with a delegation?"

Sheppard stared at McKay, still wishing that Weir had arrived before this contact. "Permission granted."

A few minutes later, five blue-white beams of light appeared. Sheppard, Lorne, McKay, and the security teams rushed to meet the newcomers. Admiral Gaven wore a white tunic with red trim, his black pants contrasting nicely against the colors. He smiled and nodded politely. "General Sheppard, it is an honor to make your acquaintance."

Sheppard reached out to shake the man's hand. "Likewise. I think."

Elizabeth rushed down the stairs to join the group, the newcomers turning to stare curiously at her. She glanced at John, who frowned at Gaven. He motioned with his hand. "Admiral Andrew Gaven, Dr. Elizabeth Weir."

Gaven stepped forward, his eyes sparkling. "Dr. Weir. I have heard stories of you all my life, but it is an honor to finally meet you in person."

John watched Elizabeth's eyebrow rise at that greeting. She shook Gaven's hand. "I wish I could say the same thing, Admiral. But I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage."

Gaven smiled again. "Dr. Weir, I assure you that I have only the best intentions for Atlantis at heart. Many years ago, my people purposed to come find you, but we were unable to do so due to many different reasons. One of them, as I am certain you already know, is the destruction of Earth. Now, with efforts to rebuild Earth underway, the Terran people are hopeful that they'll be able to inhabit it by the time their grandchildren have grown."

John swiped a hand over his face and fought the urge to sit down. Lorne was similarly shocked, and Elizabeth struggled to find the right words. Finally, McKay broke the silence. "You're telling us that _Earth_, the planet we left hundreds of years ago and lost to nuclear war, is being rehabilitated?"

"Yes, Dr. McKay, that is what I'm telling you." Gaven gave him a brief smile. "Though I must admit that finding the legendary Atlantis Expedition, missing from Earth for centuries, was something that wasn't on my list of plans to accomplish in spite of every ship's captain's desire to do so."

Elizabeth finally recovered her poise. "I see." She stepped forward. "Well, Admiral Gaven, I offer you the hospitality of Atlantis, and I hope you'll allow your people the chance to explore and take a bit of. . . .Do you call it shore leave?"

Gaven chuckled at that. "Yes, Dr. Weir, it is shore leave."

"Elizabeth, please."

"And I am Andrew."

John rolled his eyes. For centuries, Elizabeth had watched her friends find love and marry. Now, it appeared a man had arrived that intrigued her as well. She turned from the Stargate, motioning Gaven along with her, and John fell into step. The energy that flooded his veins couldn't be released in a quick tour of Atlantis, however, and he knew he'd spend a good long time running that night after he and Rachel talked about the news of Earth's recovery.

The long grief that had clouded Atlantis's past had finally been lifted. Earth would rise again one day, and her people would be there to see it. And, unless John missed his guess, Atlantis's original crew would see yet another member married before the year was out.

John smiled. Life looked good.

~The End~


End file.
